Archaeology of the Oc Eo Culture (Southern Vietnam): Exploration, Research, and Achievements

The term ‘Oc Eo culture’ originates from the archaeological site of Oc Eo, situated in the Oc Eo - Ba The complex, located in An Giang Province, Vietnam. In early 1944, Oc Eo became the initial excavation site for Louis Malleret, a French scholar. This site unveils the remnants of an ancient civilization that once existed in the Mekong Delta region during the early Common Era, also referred to as Funan in ancient Chinese texts. Over the course of more than 140 years, commencing with the initial explorations by foreign scholars in the late 19th century, followed by the unceasing research endeavors of Vietnamese scientists, the Oc Eo culture has been acknowledged for its prominent values. The issues concerning cultural spatial alongside the fundamental characteristics of sites and artifacts, the process of formation and development of this ancient culture as the archaeological culture of the Funan State, and its role within the ancient East-West trade network, have also been elucidated.