Zooarchaeological Insights and Aquatic Landscapes in Vietnam's Early Farming Communities

Fredeliza Campos

This research presents preliminary zooarchaeological analyses from four archaeological sites across Vietnam to reconstruct aquatic environments and their role in early farming economies. Rạch Núi (1555- 1265 cal BCE) and Lộc Giang (2000-1460 cal BCE) are sites located in southern Vietnam, whereas Thạch Lạc (c. 3050 – 2150 cal BCE) and Cái Bèo (at least 6000 years old) are from the north. The archaeofaunal assemblages were dominated by fish with other semi aquatic and aquatic vertebrates, which reveal sustained exploitation of freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore marine resources. The results challenge models that portray Neolithic subsistence in Mainland Southeast Asia as a complete shift from foraging to farming, but rather support a more complex, mixed economy in which aquatic resources and waterways remained constant and central in diet and settlements. By situating zooarchaeological evidence within broader paleoenvironmental and cultural frameworks, this research highlights the underexplored contribution of aquatic vertebrates in advancing our understanding of waterways in the environmental and cultural landscape of Vietnam’s past.