The wooden blocks are each 18cm wide, 25cm long and 2cm thick, and divided in four equal parts. The ancient Chinese characters inscribed upon them were all in high relief.

The 40cm high monolith made of grey brown stone depicts a thoughtful-looking woman, bending over with her head lowered.

The director of the Ha Tinh Museum Tran Hong Dan told that although the origin, date and style of the statue have not yet been definitely identified and the ancient Chinese script on the wood blocks has not yet been decoded, he believed the four engraved wood blocks belonged to the 18th century.

The archaeological expert said he based his evaluation on his own experiences as well comparisons with over 400 other engraved wood blocks being kept at the shrine of the Nguyen Huy Tu family in Ha Tinh Province.

Previously, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Archaeological Institute identified 15 ancient Champa water wells in the province.

These water wells are in square or round shapes and just between 2 and 5m deep but have never been dry even in droughts, said a Deputy Director of the Heritage Management Department under the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Ho Bach Khoa added the a survey on a large scale is to kick off soon to date the finds and study the structure as well as the skills used by ancient people in building water wells.

After one-month excavation in an area of 500m², archaeologists have found hundreds of objects which are believed to belong to the Sa Huynh Culture such as pieces of pottery, tombs, stone axes and rock crystal Linga.

The excavation is scheduled to last until November this year.

Hundreds of visitors have been attracted to the event, which included films about Vietnamese land and people and show-case of special products and traditional handicrafts of Vietnam such as silk, lacquer, ceramics, and special foods.

Cecile Minh, President of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association said the exhibition aims to improve local people’s understanding about Vietnam, thus enhancing friendship between the two nations.

All the money raised from the exhibition will be donated to the disabled and war victims.

Established in 1992, the France-Vietnam Friendship Association currently has about 150 members. The association has conducted numerous humanitarian projects focusing on health care, education and vocational training in Vietnam.

The association has also raised funds to help disabled people support Vietnamese students in their study in France and assist in cooperation between local health care sectors of the two countries.

The agency’s report shows a total of 14 million tourists, domestic and foreign, in Vietnam in seven months, a year-on-year increase of 13%.

The report indicates that Northern provinces have taken steps to attract more tourists such as improving fee collection and strengthening security at tourist sites. They have also liaised with border provinces of neighbouring countries to promote tourism, launch new tours and develop new tourist products.

At the meeting, the tourism watchdog asked travel businesses in Northern Vietnam to focus on campaigns such as the one to promote the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi and National Tourism Year 2010. It also urged them to accelerate the establishment of an association of travel agencies and another one for hotels with the aim of improving Vietnamese businesses’ competitiveness in domestic and regional markets.

Director General of VNAT Nguyen Van Tuan said his agency will concentrate on tourism promotion campaigns inside and outside the country and long-term human personnel training. In addition, he said, VNAT will boost investments in order to upgrade the tourism sector’s infrastructure.