- Korea-Vietnam International Exchange Exhibition organized by the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage / April 21~ June 28, 2020 -

The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Cultural Heritage Administration (Director Gwiyoung Lee) is proud to present the Korea-Vietnam International Exchange Exhibition titled “The Óc Eo Culture of Vietnam - Óc Eo, The Heart of Ancient Maritime Trade” at the National Maritime Museum of the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage (in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do), jointly with the Óc Eo Cultural Heritage Management Committee of Vietnam (Chairperson Nguyen Huu Gieng), the Seoul Baekje Museum (Director Kiseob Kim) and the Daehan Institute of Cultural Properties (Director Yeongcheol Yi), from April 21 to June 28, 2020. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Cultural Heritage has decided to open the exhibition to the public online (http://seamuseum.go.kr) and through facebook, Instagram, Youtube in advance.

Óc Eo was an international trade port in ancient Southeast Asia. The Óc Eo culture emerged in the vast delta of Mekong River in southern Vietnam and Cambodia between the first and seventh centuries and flourished on the back of maritime trade between East and West. This international exchange exhibition has been organized to introduce the heritage of the Óc Eo Culture, which is currently being prepared for listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by Vietnam, and to shed light on the relationship between the Kingdom of Funan - an ancient state in Southeast Asia, currently the southern region of Vietnam - and the Korean Peninsula, with the aim of promoting a deeper understanding of the history of maritime exchanges in Asia.

* Kingdom of Funan: An early state of Southeast Asia that prospered between the 1^st and 7^th centuries in the region encompassing present-day southern Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Malay peninsula, and Myanmar.

The exhibition consists of three chapters designed to deepen visitors’ understanding of the life of the inhabitants of the trade port of Óc Eo, and the maritime trade relationship between the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia.

▲ Chapter 1: The Óc Eo Culture in Southern Vietnam, which serves as an introduction to the exhibition, explains the excavation history and cultural characteristics of Óc Eo, a commercial city connected with major ports, capitals and canals, through photos and documents. The site has been the focus of ongoing excavations ever since its discovery in 1943, yielding countless relics associated with the Óc Eo Culture.

▲ Chapter 2: Óc Eo, the Heart of Maritime Trade focuses on Óc Eo as both a major stop on the maritime silk road that connected East and West and as an international trade port where merchants and products from diverse civilizations including China, Persia, India, and Rome converged.

Among the many Óc Eo artifacts discovered at the site are fragments of a Hindu temple, gold leaves and seals inscribed with early Indian script and engraved with Hindu icons, epitaphs inscribed in Sanskrit, and glass beads made in India and the Pacific region.

The glass beads found at Óc Eo are very similar in terms of their style, production technique, colors, and chemical composition to those found at the archaeological sites of the Mahan Confederacy and the Baekje Kingdom in Korea, pointing to direct and indirect exchanges between the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asian countries.

Furthermore, it is believed that the people of Óc Eo imported raw materials from the Mediterranean region, India, and other Southeast Asian countries and processed them into products for export. Traces of such commercial exchanges, most notably coins, are also on display at the exhibition.

▲ Chapter 3: The Life of the Óc Eo People displays a selection of daily necessities such as portable charcoal braziers, jars, and pots, as well as tools for making earthenware, beads, statues of gods, and other artifacts, providing a fascinating glimpse into the housing, production skills, religion, beliefs and funeral culture of the people of Óc Eo.

In particular, the Gò Cây Trâm burial site at the Óc Eo archaeology site has yielded a burial jar containing a child’s bones after cremation. Unusually, the jar features a design of a human face - the first such relic found in Southeast Asia. It is conjectured that the people of Óc Eo believed that spirits came and went through a hole pierced in the bottom of such burial jars, and thus that they believed in eternal life after death.

For reference, the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage will implement specific hygiene measures aimed at preventing the propagation of COVID-19, such as asking visitors to the exhibition to wear a mask and to maintain a safe distance (2 meters) from each other, and measuring their temperature.

In response to the current unprecedented public health situation, the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Cultural Heritage Administration has decided to go online corresponding with the order made to public facilities in time of COVID-19. It will be maintained in such until the virus is cleared and the exhibition can be observed here at the Museum.

The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage of the Cultural Heritage Administration hopes that this exhibition, which aims to illuminate the life and culture of the Óc Eo people and the relationship between the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia in ancient times, will provide visitors with an excellent opportunity to consider the history of maritime exchanges in Asia, as well as promoting friendly relations between Korea and Vietnam and vitalizing cultural exchanges and research on maritime cultural heritages.

The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage

Exhibition&Public Relation Division

Yoo, Eun Shik / Senior Curator / Seo, Jeong Min / Curator