An ancient bronze cannon discovered in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang in late May originated in the Netherlands and dates back more than three centuries, the municipal museum said on Monday, citing scientists.

The cannon, measuring 174.1cm in length and weighing about 200kg, was unearthed at a construction site of a sea dyke project along Lien Chieu Beach in Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, on May 22.

Following the finding, the Museum of Da Nang took over the bronze cannon for preservation, study and exhibition, while the municipal administration presented VND15 million (US$645) to the group of workers that discovered the weapon.

The museum had invited Nguyen Quang Trung Tien, a researcher working in the faculty of history at the Hue University of Sciences in the namesake central city, to lead a team of scientists to trace the artillery piece’s origin.

Results of the two-month study were announced on Monday, with Tien saying that the bronze cannon was identified as being made by the Dutch some 350 years ago, telling from the design, structure of components and patterns.

The researcher said the Chinese characters inscribed by hand on the weapon as a ‘gunner’s manual’ indicate that the cannon belonged to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), Vietnam's last monarchy.

According to Tien, the weapon shares a number of similarities with three other bronze cannons which were casted by the Dutch in the 1640-1678 period and are currently on display at the Museum of Royal Antiquities in Hue.

It is suggested that the cannon found in Da Nang also entered Vietnam around the mid-17th century and was since used by the Nguyen dynastic rulers in different battles, evidenced by numerous cracks and signs of damage on its body.

From the mid-16th century to the late 18th century, central and southern Vietnam, known as the Inner Realm, were ruled by the Nguyen lords, while the Trinh lords were rulers of the northern region, or the Outer Realm.

In the middle of the 17th century, most of the bronze cannons from the Netherlands appeared in Vietnam were either gifts or goods traded by the Trinh Lords or items retrieved by the Nguyen Lords from Dutch vessels sunken or stranded in the Inner Realm.

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