Oldest human fossils found in Vietnam

 The VnExpress on 2 Nov 2023 reported on "Vietnam uncovers oldest human remains". 

Skeletal human remains dating back 10,000 years have been found in a cave, making them the oldest human fossils ever unearthed in Vietnam. The remains were found last March at the Tam Chuc Pagoda Complex in Kim Bang District, in the northern province of Ha Nam.

At the Tam Chuc complex, archaeologists discovered three graves of children and adults, with the people buried in a kneeling position. There were also mollusc shells and teeth bones of small animals, which could have been food sources for ancient people. There were sea molluss shells along with stream snails. At the top of the mountain they found pieces of pottery lying alongside mollusc pieces.

At 10,000 years, these are the oldest human remains to be found in Vietnam. This means they date back to the late Pleistocene to late Holocene age, or 10,000-12,000 years ago.

Excavations at two caves in Kim Bang revealed prehistoric paleontological and material culture remains including animal fossils and reddish-brown rope pottery fragments belonging to the Dong Son culture. Dong Son was a Bronze Age culture in ancient Vietnam centered in the Red River valley of northern Vietnam from 1000 BC until the first century AD.

Photo taken from VnExpress -

Prehistoric community discovered in Gia Lai, Vietnam

This is not cave related, but is still a very interesting piece of news.

On 8 April 2019 Vietnamnet reported :
"Discoveries made at the Go Da site, An Khe town, Gia Lai province, in 2014 are evidence that An Khe valley was the home of a prehistoric community. Over the past 5 years, Vietnamese and foreign archaeologists have unearthed and made public findings which have shocked many historians."

An Khe is in the Central Highlands in SE Vietnam.

"Archaeologist Phan Thanh Tung discovered the first stone axe at the Go Da site. Two top Vietnamese archaeologists, Doctor Nguyen Khac Su and Doctor Nguyen Gia Doi, came to An Khe to prove that prehistoric men lived here. 

The Vietnam Institute of Archaeology and Russia’s Novosibirsk Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology worked under a 5-year cooperative agreement which expires this year to excavate the Go Da and Roc Tung sites in An Khe town.

Discoveries of the early palaeolithic sites in An Khe are evidence that the upper Ba river in An Khe was the home of a prehistoric community about 1 million years ago. 

This is the oldest known trace of humans and their cultural relics ever found in Vietnam. 

It’s important proof that nearly 1 million years ago prehistoric men had appeared in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Discoveries of bifacial tools and handaxes in An Khe have also dispelled the view that in the West people had handaxes, indicating more advanced development, while in the East people had stone choppers, simpler tools suggesting a less-developed society.

Doctor Nguyen Gia Doi, acting Director of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, said “The An Khe site is one of a few rare relic sites in Southeast Asia and Asia, dating back more than 800,000 years. It creates a new notion of Vietnamese history. Previous findings at Nui Do are 300,000 to 400,000 years old. The An Khe findings have changed our conception of prehistory and man’s evolution.”

The excavation is still underway, but the preliminary findings have important value for writing Vietnam’s history, for exhibiting at museums, and for making An Khe an international center for the study of human cultural history."

Vietnam lava tubes in Dak Nong

A strange article appeared on 24 Dec 2014 in the Tuoi Tre News about the discovery of Vietnam's first lava tube cave. The title "Southeast Asia's longest volcanic cave discovered in Vietnam" is OK, but the article goes on to say that "A group of Vietnamese and Japanese scientists have announced the discovery of the first volcanic cave system in Vietnam, one part of which is considered the longest such feature in Southeast Asia. The discovery was made in Krong No District in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong by experts from the general department and the Japan Caving Association after seven years of research".

What the article really means is that they are the first lava tubes to be found in Dak Nong province, not in Vietnam. Prior to this article, the longest lava cave in Vietnam is Hang Doi 1 Km 123,  at 437 m, found in 2013.  According to the article, 12 caves were found and 3 were surveyed, the longest being 1055 m.

See the above link for the full article and photos.
--
The next day a better article appeared in Thanh Nien News on 25 Dec, "Record volcanic cave system discovered in central Vietnam". Although it still said "The recent discovery represents the first volcanic cave system ever found in Vietnam." and "scientists have conducted detailed surveys of three caves--the largest of which measures over a kilometer in length and several thousands of meters in width." I think the width might be a mistake!

Madagui boulder caves, Vietnam

I had a piece published in The Star on 7 June 2014, about the boulder caves at Madagui in southern Vietnam.

Park it in Vietnam

by liz price

 

Rock ‘n’ root: Tree roots have ‘invaded’ the gaps between the huge boulders in Madagui.

   

Checking out the caves and forests of Madagui Forest City in Southern Vietnam can be quite a thrilling escape from city life.


Madagui, or “forest city”, is a bit of a misnomer as it is neither a forest in a city, nor a city in a forest. Madagui is, rather, an adventure park set inside a forest in southern Vietnam, between Ho Chi Minh City and the highland resort of Dalat.

Here, there are caves, water activities, nature treks and much wildlife to see. With no shortage of fun things to do, it’s a really great place to take the family.
Our reason for visiting Madagui was to explore the boulder caves. We were staying in the town of Tan Phu, so we took a bus to the park. Only it wasn’t a bus, it was a crowded van – it was already packed when it stopped to pick up our group of five! Somehow everyone managed to squeeze inside.
It was fun from the start. We got into an open safari truck – painted in tiger livery – and set off. Our driver went rather fast and it was a very bumpy ride as the roads were cobblestoned. I had to hang on tight every time we took a sharp corner.
We had a good overall view of the park area as we crossed the river and headed for the hills at the back, where the caves are located.
There are five caves open to the public. They are not limestone caves, but actually large gaps between enormous granite boulders. The boulders are really huge and you feel quite dwarfed when walking through its maze of passages.
Some passages are so dark that you need a torch. Wooden walkways and ladders ease one’s progress, but in many places there are small streams to step over.
It is a bit like something off a film set. The caves are situated in thick forests and the ginormous boulders forming the caves have huge tree roots entwined over them and creepers hanging down like strange curtains.

Roar for the tiger truck that takes you around the park.

It was fun exploring the passages, following the marked trails, stepping over small babbling brooks.
There are legends associated with the caves. These stories originate from the Ma people, who inhabite the region and believe in a supreme protector of the forests. They say the caves were carved by the hands of the mountain spirit Yang Ndu who resides in the forest. Madagui according to the local language means “the Gui river of the Ma people”. The Ma are an ethnic minority belonging to the Mon-Khmer family who believe in animism and spirits.
Information boards in English and Vietnamese give details of the legends that are alive in this region.
At Than Nui deity park, large boulders outside Bat Cave and Heaven Blessing Cave have been carved to represent animal heads. These signify the animals that once gathered to listen to Buddha’s teachings. The bat and elephant, according to local beliefs, denote good genies that bring happiness and comfort.
Other animal heads that one would come across include the lion, buffalo, dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix.
A group of stone bats “lead” visitors to the caves. In folklore, bats often appear as symbols of blessings, hence the name Heaven Blessing Cave. There are nine carved bats “flying” east to guide visitors to the main entrance of the cave. Then there is a carving of 18 bats in flight, descending on a tray of five fruits offered as a blessing. Inside the cave, an image of the bat-god extends towards you from the top of the dome, supposedly to bring wealth, luck and happiness to those who are sincere. (There used to be real bats living in the cave but they are no longer there.)

Crocodiles basking in the sunlight.

We were quite slow in exploring the caves and our driver decided our time was up, and asked if we wanted more time to walk to the last cave and then back to the headquarters. We opted for that.
It was a pleasant trek through the forest, on wooden planks and across several bouncy suspension bridges.
Death Cave was the last cave we visited. Not many people go there. A narrow trail passes mossy rocks and ladders lead down into the cave. Luckily the cave didn’t live up to its name and we emerged unscathed to walk back through a bamboo forest to the crocodile pond. There is a vast collection of bamboo in the park.
We reached the pond which was full of really large crocs basking in the hot sun. They looked like statues as they were totally inert, though I felt their beady eyes following us. Occasionally one would slide into the water with a very loud “plop”.
I giggled at the sign that said “crocodile fishing”. I imagined trying to catch one of these huge reptiles on a fishing line. The sign really meant that fishing was permitted. So presumably there must be fish there and they haven’t all been eaten by the crocs. Anglers can also try their luck fishing in the river, which is also used for rafting.
There are other activities to indulge in such as jet skiing, kayaking, motor boating, riding the banana boat and water duck biking!
For those who prefer dry land, you can try rock climbing, sliding down the zip line, target shooting, grass sliding and paintball.
Alternatively, you can go horse riding. Or go for a trek. There are streams in the forest with many secluded spots where you can enjoy a refreshing and cool swim.
If you want to go further into the jungle and mountains, you can go by jeep or UAZ, a Russian off-road vehicle.
Of course, you can just relax and have a picnic and enjoy the cool forest atmosphere. And after a hard day of fun, you can pamper yourself in the sauna and have a massage.
There is a variety of accommodation. For those who want comfort, there are three-star villas. If you are there with children, a more exciting option is sleeping in tents next to Tien Stream or in the “Tarzan-style” tree houses. These are situated in trees right by the river.
The large restaurant serves a variety of food, including local dishes of fish caught from the waters of the forest. Having a large variety of fruit trees means that some should be in season during your visit. You can go to the orchards which have the usual tropical fruits, as well as cooler highland varieties such as strawberries.

Some of the carved rocks of the Ma people.

A popular night time activity is a jeep ride into the wildlife preserve. In this conservation area, you’ll find monkeys and deer, as well as muntjac and wild boar. Birds such as ostriches and pheasants and pretty fowls roam around too.
In fact, Madagui has an incredibly diversified ecosystem, with ancient trees and rare and valuable plant species. The nearby Cat Tien is a Unesco biosphere reserve and is home to large mammals, including the rare Javan rhino. It is very popular with bird watchers, too.
 

FACT FILE

Madagui,
Km 152, Highway 20,
Da Huoai District,
Lam Dong Province.
Email: reservation@madagui.com.vn
Entry to Madagui Forest City is VND40,000 (RM6) and all activities are priced separately.
Website: www.madagui.com.vn

> Madagui Forest is located in Lam Dong Province, 152km north of Ho Chi Minh City. It is situated right on the main highway, No 20, from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat. Dalat is an old French hill station.

Getting there: From Ho Chi Minh City, take a bus that goes to Dalat, and get off at the forest city, about 7km after the town of Madagui. Alternatively, most travel agents in HCMC offer tours.

Shapes of lava tube caves in Vietnam

The lava tube caves we explored in the Dong Nai province of south Vietnam in  Feb 2014 were generally not very extensive. Having said that, the expedition in 2013 found the longest lava cave in SE Asia, Hang Doi 1 Km 123, at 437 m. It continues the other side of the depression and that cave is 112 m. If these are considered to be one cave, then the length would be 549 m. However, lava tube specialists count the caves as being separate.

There are many small volcanoes in this area. Generally they are quite small hills with flat tops, the  volcano cones are heavily eroded. The resulting lava streams between Tan Phu and Dinh Quan are extensive and cover several square kilometers.

There are numerous lava tube caves, accessible through roof collapses. The cave passages were formed quite close to the surface, hence the numerous roof collapses.  This means the caves have been dissected and are short.

Most of the caves are of characteristic oval shape.

Most of the entrances were very small, as a result of the roof collapse forming a mass of breakdown

 

 This entrance was blocked by thick bamboo

This was one of the bigger entrances -

Typical passage shapes -

Views of the roof -

And some "lavatites"

rich colours

 

See more on :
Dong Nai lava tubes part 2
Dong Nai lava tubes part 1
Fauna in lava tubes


© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Madagui boulder caves, Lam Dong, Vietnam

During our caving trip in Dong Nai province, we took a day off to have a look at the boulder caves at Madagui (Ma Da Gui, Mada Gui). It is north of Than Phu on the main road to Da Lat, just in Lam Dong province. It is called a 'Forest City' and has lots of attractions, such as 'sky tracking', crocodile lake, fruit orchard, animal park, etc.

Our interest was the boulder caves. There are 5 set up for tourists, although one is currently closed.

Entrance fee to the park is 40,000 dong (US$2). We travelled around in one of the safari jeeps.

The roads are stone cobbles giving a very bumpy ride. We crossed the big lake and headed for the first cave, Hang Tien. Wooden steps led down into the cave, which like all the others, is basically a path between a maze of giant boulders.

All the caves are a labyrinth of enormous, massive boulders, with large gaps between them forming caves.

The granite is interesting, quite granular/gritty, with lots of holes from erosion, and also some holes which look like geode holes.

The next cave was Hang Thay, The Master's Cave. All the caves have information boards in Vietnamese and English telling of stories and legends associated with them.

A nice tree outside the cave.

The cave has a small stream inside, even though it is dry season.

The next cave is Hang Than Nui, Yang Ndu Cave. It is very close to, or almost part of, Hang Thay. There is a statue, which may be of the hermit

Some of the granite boulders have split.

A piece of the bottom has come off - 

Wooden stairs are in place where necessary

The next cave is called Thien Phuc Son Dong, or Heaven Blessing Cave. There are lots of carved rocks in this area, representing animal heads, which represent the blessings.

 There are elephants, bats, buffalo, lion, tiger, bear, dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix

  I particularly liked these bat carvings. The flock of bats guide visitors to the cave.

Hang Doi, or Bat Grotto. There are no longer any live bats here.

We then decided to walk along the forest trail to another cave.

Hang Tu Than, or The Cave of Death has a small stream and some fauna

Heteropoda

An interesting place. Not the same as limestone caves, but the giant boulders create caves that are fun to explore!
----
UPDATE -
In June 2014 I had an article published in the Malaysian paper The Star , on Madagui.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Cave fauna in lava tubes in Vietnam

The lava tubes we explored in south Vietnam are quite rich in cave fauna, mainly invertebrates. We were based in Than Phu, in Dong Nai province, about 125 km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City in south Vietnam. We were there in February which is the dry season and the whole area was incredibly dry.

We saw very little fauna above ground, just the occasional lizard. There was far more life underground, in the cooler and damper lava tubes. However the tubes are quite warm compared to limestone caves.

There was no water in any of the tubes we visited, though some had damp mud. Many had roots coming in through the ceiling and walls.

There were surprisingly few bats in these lava tubes, though there was evidence that they had been hunted, as there were many wooden poles and nets lying around in various caves.

We saw a variety of invertebrates.
Spiders were always noticeable by their eye shine in our lights. In many caves they were throughout the cave, but in the longest cave they were only seen near the entrance. They are Sparassidae: Heteropodinae (thanks to Peter Jaeger for the ID) -

Web spiders were far fewer in numbers.

I saw 2 types of cricket -

They are probably Rhaphidophoridae , Subfamily Aemodogryllinae .

I only saw a couple of long legged centipedes. They are a different colour from those in Malaysia.
This one was climbing up tree roots -

Whip spiders were particularly common -

One was identified by Michael Seiter as Phrynichus orientalis.

This was a dead one being eaten by millipedes -

 And another live one -

There were also whip scorpions (Uropygi) -

Millipedes were only seen in 2 caves.

Jean-Jacques Geoffroy (France) identified them as belonging to the family Cambalopsidae. The genus could be Glyphiulus or Plusioglyphiulus (or even Trachyiulus or Hypocambala).

Cockroaches were only seen in one cave. That cave was close to houses so they could have come from there. They are Periplaneta Americana

There were surprisingly few frog species. These tiny little guys - Micryletta inornata - were cute and quick to hop away from the camera  -

 This larger one - Polypedates leucomystax - was close to an entrance (thanks to Lee Grismer for frog ID) -

I was looking for scorpions but saw none. The only ones we came across were these large ones found when digging open a cave -

Some mammals use the caves. In several caves I saw rats, with white chests, Niviventer spp. .
I'm think this is one as well -

This might be a rat -

This skull may be a dog

Porcupine also use the caves and the locals put traps at the entrances to catch them. This is a quill -

These droppings could be from porcupine -

A pile of droppings covered in fungus, note the polished rock above the droppings-

In one cave the locals collected the porcupine droppings to use as fertilizer.

Bats were less numerous than expected. All were insect eating bats. As there were signs of the locals trapping them in nets, maybe that accounts for less bats than a year ago when some of the cavers visited (at the same time of the year). Surprisingly the most bats seemed to be in a cave with very bad air. This cave was also particularly warm. And at the entrance we saw quite a few dead bats, Pomona Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros pomona) -

There are 6 bats flying in this photo -

 

 

Surprisingly I only saw 1 gecko in the caves , Cyrtodactylus -

See more on the lava tubes :

Part 1 Gia Ray area

Part 2 Than Phu area

Shapes of lava tubes

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission