(HBO) – The Hoa Binh Civilisation, dating back to the Stone Age, was discovered by French archaeologist Madeleine Colani and named after the cave relics found in the karst areas of Hoa Binh province. In Vietnam, its traces have been unearthed mostly in Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces (over 80% of the total relics), while the rest scatter in the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Lai Chau, Son La, Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Ninh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and some others. Not only in Vietnam, this civilisation also existed across the mainland Southeast Asia, from southern China to Sumatra Island of Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
A demonstration of the life of primitive humans at Xom
Trai Cave in Tan Lap commune, Lac Son district.
The reason for the concentration of Hoa Binh
Civilisation relics in Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa is that local karst areas had
stable and consistent geological features, and they were also located in the
transition zone of the northern, western and southern geological regions. That
blessed the two provinces with diverse and complex natural conditions as well
as creature richness, resulting in food abundance.
Caves and rock shelters of the Hoa Binh
Civilisation were located at about 15 - 20 metres above the valley’s bed. The
residential space of people at that time varied according to relic sites. Some
caves and shelters are 10 square metres wide while others cover thousands of
square metres, but most have an area of 50 - 150 square metres. Those places
were also lit and warmed by sunlight in the morning. More than 90% of those
sites could keep their inhabitants from cold northwest winds in winter.
Late Professor Tran Quoc Vuong highly valued the
residential locations of the Hoa Binh Civilisation people, saying those places
were the prerequisite for primitive humans to develop agriculture and move to
lowland areas to develop a new civilisation.
Archaeological documents and excavations showed
that hunting and foraging were the main ways of subsistence of people of this
civilisation. Those activities mainly took place in valleys.
Working tools in the Hoa Binh Civilisation were
made from wood, bamboo and pebble. When finding places to reside in, apart from
choosing the sites with necessary natural conditions like sunlight, rivers, and
streams, people at that time also paid special attention to those near pebble
and limestone sources to make working tools.
Archaeological findings also revealed that women
played the main role in creating working tools while men were in charge of
hunting. Women also hunted small animals and mollusk, and picked vegetables and
fruit, which were not as hard as men’s work but generated high economic value.
Women were also responsible for bringing up children, sustaining fire, cooking,
and storing food. Therefore, women’s role gradually became important and
indispensable in each cave of primitive humans.
Ninety years have passed since the discovery of
the Hoa Binh Civilisation, but there remain a number of questions waiting for
answers about this civilisation before a panorama of the society in that period
could take shape./.
On November 6, the residential area, Nam Thai hamlet, Doan Ket commune (Yen Thuy) organized the Great National Solidarity Festival and celebrated the 94th anniversary of the traditional day of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (November 18, 1930 - November 18, 2024). There was the attendance of Mr. Nguyen Tien Sinh, the Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, the Chairman of the Provincial Party Committee's Inspection Commission, and the leaders of the appropriate departments and branches of the province and Yen Thuy district.
The authorities and community in Yen Thuy district are dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of ethnic groups in the locality. Yen Thuy is home to seven ethnic groups, with the Muong making up over 69% of the population.
A great national solidarity festival was held in Ngai hamlet, Thach Yen commune, Cao Phong district, on November 8. Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province Bui Van Khanh, and Colonel Trinh Duc Thiem, Commander of the provincial Military Command, attended the event.
A great national unity festival was held in Cau Son hamlet in Nhuan Trach commune of Luong Son district on November 10.
The organising board for the Hoa Binh Culture and Tourism Week 2024 has officially released its press statement.
The People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province held a press conference on November 5 to announce the details of its upcoming 2024 Culture-Tourism Week.
