Vietnam Binh Chau Tang Wreck

Amid this chaos, local ceramics collector Mr. Lam Du Xenh seized the opportunity to acquire a diverse range of wares from the site. Although many pieces were broken, they provided a remarkably comprehensive sample of the ship's cargo. Mr. Lam even managed to salvage remnants of the vessel's wooden hull, which he now preserves in a large, open shelter at his home.

In 2014, accompanied by fellow collectors from Singapore, I had the privilege of visiting Mr. Lam to inspect these artifacts and examine the structural timbers firsthand. The ceramics mix from this wreck is similar to that from the Tang Belitung wreck. It consisted of mainly Changsha painted wares, Yue Greenware, Xing type white wares and Guangdong greenwares. The construction technology appears to differ from the Belitung Dhow and likely of the Southeast Asian ship building technology. Cargo Composition and Ship Structure The ceramic assemblage from the Binh Chau wreck bears a striking resemblance to the famous Tang-era Belitung wreck. It primarily comprises: Changsha painted wares (Hunan province) Yue greenwares/celadons (Zhejiang province) Xing-type white wares (northern China) Guangdong green-glazed utility wares However, while their cargoes are textually similar, the physical vessels themselves differ substantially. Preliminary observations indicate that the Binh Chau ship was constructed using Southeast Asian shipbuilding technology, contrasting sharply with the West Asian stitched-plank dhow construction of the Belitung vessel. Among the Binh Chau cargo, a large number of Guangdong green-glazed jars feature black ink Arabic inscriptions on their bases.

The mosque stands near Guangta Road (光塔路), an area where foreign merchants historically congregated, settled, and operated specialized markets—a history still reflected in the local street names today. Dating the Wreck The Binh Chau wreck can be reliably dated to the second half of the 9th century (late Tang Dynasty), placing it roughly 50 to 70 years later than the Belitung wreck, which is securely tied to 826 CE.

This chronological gap is demonstrated by a comparative analysis of the Changsha wares from both sites: Ceramic Feature Belitung Wreck (c. 826 CE) Transparent light brown/yellow glaze with a green cast Creamy Decorative Style: Meticulous iron-brown and copper-green painting of clouds, birds, floral motifs and abstract Arabic scripts Rapid Binh Chau Wreck (Late 9th Century) Glaze Typology: milky-white glaze with a subtle blue cast Decorative Style: abstract brown and green splashes—a style Chinese scholars classify as a hallmark of late-stage Changsha production This late Tang designation is further supported by recent terrestrial archaeology in China.

An ancient pier site discovered in Changsha, dated to the Five Dynasties period (907–960 CE), yielded identical Changsha vessels featuring these abstract color splashes. This suggests that while the style emerged in the closing decades of the Tang Dynasty, production continued seamlessly into the early 10th century. A small group of bowls in the Binh Chau cargo retain the classic yellow glaze seen in the Belitung wreck, but their execution differs. These transitional pieces feature foliated rims and distinct unglazed rings on their inner bases, an optimization for stack-firing inside the kilns. Furthermore, the profiles of the ewers have evolved. The ewers from the Belitung wreck are stout and upright with angular, squared shoulders. In contrast, the Binh Chau ewers are elongated and slender with gently rounded shoulders. Several exhibit "dish-mouth" rims, a design feature that surged in popularity among various regional Chinese kilns during the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. Refining the Date: Epigraphic Evidence Though initially inconclusive, a fragment of a Yue celadon bowl provided a critical breakthrough. The vessel features incised characters on its base. While the first character was clearly identified as Qian (乾), the second character was initially interpreted as the first four strokes of Heng (亨). Had this been correct, it would point to Qianheng (917–925 CE), a reign mark of the Southern Han (南汉) Kingdom during the Five Dynasties period. Correction & Update: PhD candidate Mr. Yang Yang (Jingdezhen Ceramic University) has since re-examined the fragment and correctly identified the second character as fu (符). The reign mark is actually Qianfu (乾符), which corresponds to the years 874–879 CE. This epigraphic evidence places the Binh Chau wreck precisely in the late 870s, firmly within the tumultuous final decades of the Tang Dynasty. The Port of Assembly: A Shift in Maritime Trade The identification of the ship's timbers as Southeast Asian by Dr. Jun Kimura introduces an interesting historical puzzle. While it is widely accepted that the Belitung cargo was loaded directly at a major Chinese administrative hub like Guangzhou or Yangzhou, the same cannot be assumed for the Binh Chau vessel due to the political instability of late 9th-century China. Between 878 and 884 CE, the devastating Huang Chao Rebellion threw the Tang Empire into chaos. Huang Chao's forces sacked Guangzhou in 878 CE. The contemporary Arab geographer Abu Zaid records that tens of thousands of foreign Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians perished in the uprising. Because Guangzhou was the primary gateway for Western trade, this cataclysm disrupted traditional commercial routes, forcing foreign merchants to flee China. Many of these displaced traders relocated to Annam (modern-day northern Vietnam), using its ports to maintain access to Chinese commodities. The ink inscriptions on the Binh Chau jars seeking divine protection may well reflect the anxiety of Arab merchants navigating this volatile trade environment. This regional shift is supported by historical text.

This indicates that the traditional Tang maritime network had fractured into decentralized, intra-regional trade routes. Instead of sailing directly to China, international merchants may have gathered at alternative ports in Vietnam, where Chinese goods were brought by local coastal networks and re-assembled for long-distance transport. The Kingdom of Champa, which controlled central and southern Vietnam, was a central player in this network. Renowned as skilled mariners, the Chams maintained regular tributary relations with China while conducting trade throughout the region. This cosmopolitan maritime environment is detailed in the Kaladi inscription of Java (dated 909 CE), which notes that communities of Cham, Khmer, Mon, and South Asian merchants lived and worked together in the Brantas Delta. My own travels in Vietnam have confirmed the presence of Tang and Five Dynasties Yue, Changsha, and northern Yaozhou wares excavated from sites across central Vietnam. The specific role of Vietnamese ports as transshipment hubs during the transition from the Tang to the Song Dynasties remains an open field of study, and the Binh Chau wreck provides a major piece of this historical puzzle.