The main types of archaeological relics such as ancient trade ports, sunken ships and shipyards are found sufficiently in the two provinces. In terms of date and origin, there is a diversity of the archaeological artefacts, including the ceramic, the stone, the iron and the wooden ones. Due to the present demands for people’s life and local economic development, the cultural heritage is getting damaged more and more seriously. | Maritime Archaeological Heritage in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen Provinces Bui Van Liem1, Bui Van Hieu1 1 Institute of Archaeology, Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences. Email: liembuivankc@, laohatu@ Received: 3 July 2017. Accepted: 8 August 2017. Abstract: Binh Dinh and Phu Yen are the two provinces with great potential for archaeological research in general and underwater archaeology in particular. The system of rivers and canals is fairly dense; along the coast, large estuaries and ancient trade ports are found, making it favourable for shipping, anchorage as well as commodity export-import activities. They also lie in the regional maritime trade routes with well-known seaports in history. The main types of archaeological relics such as ancient trade ports, sunken ships and shipyards are found sufficiently in the two provinces. In terms of date and origin, there is a diversity of the archaeological artefacts, including the ceramic, the stone, the iron and the wooden ones. Due to the present demands for people’s life and local economic development, the cultural heritage is getting damaged more and more seriously. Keywords: Heritage, underwater archaeology, trade port, trade, shipwreck. Subject classification: Archaeology 1. Introduction As recorded in “Đại Nam nhất thống chí” (Dai Nam Comprehensive Encyclopaedia, Dai Nam = Great [country in the] South, . Vietnam), “Binh Dinh is a vast and fertile area, which used to be named as “Tiểu Nông Nại” (Little Nong Nai2), with a dense population and abundance of products, where boats and vehicles gathered and business was busy; it is surrounded by mountains outside and inside, so it is very convenient for both attack and defence. It is a really important place in Ta Ky!3” [12, ]. In addition to historical, anthropological and folklore materials, the archaeological research findings show that Binh Dinh is an area that has a long history with the Sa Huynh culture and the location of Vijaya, a .
