Many wooden stakes were found in Lien Khe commune, Thuy Nguyen district, Hai Phong city. According to the initial identifying, all of it have been related to the world famous Bach Dang battle on the Bach Dang River in 1288 of Dai Viet army and people, destroyed Mongol – Nguyen invaders.
As Lao Dong reported, archaeologists and scientists from the Institute of Archaeology and Hai Phong Museum recently unearthed a pile pit that is nearly thousand years old, in Cao Quy field, Lien Khe commune, Thuy Nguyen district – located the next Da Bac river, a branch of Bach Dang river.
According to initial assessment, some piles date from 1270-1430 AD and it may be part of the battlefield that is arranged by Tran Hung Dao to put the enemy into the main pile on the Bach Dang River, the main pile is located in the Quang Yen commune, Quang Ninh today.
According to Dr. Nguyen Viet – Director of the Center for Prehistoric Southeast Asia – in the naval battle of 1288, the first step showed that the piles discovered in Hai Phong have age equal the age of piles in 3 pile yards in Quang Ninh, however, its density and layout are different.
“Currently the work has just begun, there is no official conclusion. But I think this could be the pile ground of the defensive area of the Bach Dang Victory in 1288 ”- Mr. Viet said.
According to Le Dong Son – former Head of the Culture and Sports Department of Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province – who was present in most of the excavations and archaeology of ancient pile yards in Quang Yen – newly discovered pile ground in Hai Phong may be a part of the battle to intercept the enemy retreat on 7.3.1288 at the Gia river estuary.
“7.3.1288, the enemy tried to enter Gia river to find a way out but they was defeated by our army at the Gia river estuary and the enemy came back, found an escape through Bach Dang river and they was completely destroyed on 8.3. 1288. This history has also been written. There is a possibility that this newly found piles will participate in that battle ”- Mr. Son shared.
Researchers said that the piles was placed in many places, on the rivers in both Hai Phong, Quang Ninh … has been clarified for a long time, because Tran Hung Dao arranged soldiers everywhere to block the retreat of invaders from Thang Long into the main battlefield on the Bach Dang River.
Bach Dang river starts from Gia river, Da Bac river at Thuy Nguyen, Hai Phong to Nam Trieu river estuary with its length is 20 km.
Regarding the reason why Tran Hung Dao chose the battle of Bach Dang pile to destroy the enemy, the researchers thought that this position is important and very difficult of access, because the amplitude of tide is about 4m when water tide is coming in and it is back out, and can combined with Coc whirlpool, Chanh whirlpool. As a result, when the tide is coming in, it was possible to hide the stakes, but when the tide is back out, the piles could high 2m over water. These piles will prevent the enemy boats escaping to the sea and Dai Viet troops will use the fire to destroy boats of the enemy here.
The battle field area determined this battle have been found by archaeologists, domestic and international archaeologists in archaeological excavations and surveys since 1958, with 3 ancient pile yards: Yen Giang, Dong Ma Ngua and Dong Van Muoi that belong to Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province with a total of over 800 ancient piles deep in the mud.
NGUYEN HUNG
