Dr. Lam Thi My Dung reviewed the excavation process. Observing the site and video tape, she excluded the possibility that the paddies mixed with the uprooted soil or that mice brought in seeds.

Professor and Academician Dao The Tuan, Vietnam’s leading agriculture expert, observed the burnt paddies preserved by excavators. Sprouting paddies were handed over to the Institute for Agriculture Genetics for research.

Prof. Tuan said that these paddies are in the shape of ancient paddy varieties.

A ceramic shard belonging to Dong Dau culture that has rice husk traces excavated at Thanh Den archaeological site. Scientists said that burnt paddies were found at this site previously, but there is no convincing explanation for the sprouting paddies.

Scientists must wait around 5 months for the growth cycle of the paddies to complete in order to analyze the genetic material and confirm whether or not they are ancient paddies.

Meanwhile, archaeologists are still busy with their job, which started in mid-April 2010. Thanh Den archaeological site is over 20,000sq.m and was discovered in 1970. According to legend, Thanh Den is also called Cu Trien Citadel built by Trung Nhi to hinder Chinese invaders. This site is now in a rice field.

Two surveys and six excavations were carried out on around 280sq.m. The 7^th excavation began in mid-April 2010 with three holes of 100sq.m each. Scientists are very interested in black soil holes (kitchen holes) that preserve many cooking remnants like fish bones, burnt paddies and snail shells.

Based on relics discovered at this site, scientists said that Thanh Den was a place where ancient people made tools and weapons. This was also the biggest metallurgical and bronze casting centre in the pre-Dong Son age. Dr. Dung suspects that this may be the remains of a bronze casting kiln.

Soil taken from the holes are put into different bags and marked for later research.

Workers participating in the excavation are residents who work under the instruction of experts from the University for Social Sciences and Humanities and the Hanoi Museum.

All workers confirmed that the sprouting paddies were discovered at the dig sites.