Phan Dinh Phung, Deputy Director of the Phu Yen Service for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the granite stone is 170cm high, 60cm wide and 25cm thick. The surface of the stele bears eight lines of ancient Champa script. It was discovered under the roots of a tree that is hundreds of years old.

The recent findings at the site, including a square water well, are clear indications that the site contains valuable cultural and historic relics from the Kingdom of Champa, said the expert.

The Kingdom was founded in the second century and existed till the 13th century.

Phung added that his agency was conducting research to determine the stele’s age and planned to launch archaeological excavations at the site in future.

It is the second stone stele linked to the ancient Champa civilisation found in Phu Yen Province.

The first was a relief on the wall of Nhan Mountain in the heart of Tuy Hoa City. It dated back to the 5th century, bearing the prayers of King Bhadravarman of the first dynasty of the Kingdom of Champa.

“It just struck me that the 1,000th anniversary of the foundation of Thang Long-Hanoi should be featured in this pageant,” Tran Thi Huong Giang said on the day it was announced that she would join more than 100 contestants for the 59th Miss World contest.

“I think the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi is a unique cultural event because it is rare that a country’s capital has the depth of a thousand years of culture and history.”

Giang said she is preparing an embroidered picture of Chua Mot Cot (One-pillar Pagoda) for auction at the contest.

She will give other contestants postcards of the capital’s famous places like Ho Guom (Sword Lake), Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), Pho Co (Old Quarter).

“I will perform the fencing art in the talent contest,” Giang said. “I love cai luong (reformed theatre), especially the Tieng Trong Me Linh (Me Linh Drumbeat) play. And I have chosen the Hai Ba Trung as symbols of the struggle for peace for presenting our history to the world.”

“The Miss World pageant will be held in Vietnam in 2010. It coincides with the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi celebrations. So, I want to bring the image of the capital to this year’s contest,” Giang said.

Huong Giang is the second runner-up at Miss Viet Nam Global 2009 in Las Vegas and a professional model.

“I have only two weeks to prepare for the contest. I’ll fly to England for charity programmes on November 6. On November 11, I will depart to South Africa,” Giang said.

Despite the short preparation period, Giang was confident she would do well. “I can communicate well in English. Designer Thuan Viet and Son Collection will help design traditional attires and evening dresses.

“I do not put on myself the pressure of winning. I’ll focus on introducing the richness of Vietnamese culture to the world.”

Giang was born in 1987 in Vietnam’s northern province of Hai Duong. She won the provincial beauty contest in 2006.

Minh Hoa District’s People’s Committee said that one of the newly found grottos in To Mo Valley has an estimated length of 400m and a height of 50m.

Two grottos in Tu Lan Valley have wide entrances and spectacular stalactite.

Quang Binh, which is located at the Truong Son mountain range, is home to the UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage site, the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park with Phong Nha caves said to have the longest water cave.

The British Cave Research Association also says the system has the highest and largest entrance, most beautiful swallow holes, most beautiful grottoes, most magnificent and unusual stalagmites and stalactites, longest subterranean and the most beautiful and largest stone and sand beaches.

The exhibition, which is part of “RoK Week in Vietnam”, displays photos depicting the two countries’ special and traditional cultural characteristics, daily life and beautiful landscapes. It is a good opportunity for Vietnam and the RoK to strengthen their mutual understanding and introduce their land, people and culture to international friends.

Under the theme of “Vignette and light - feeling from the earth”, the exhibition is showcasing more than 70 works of five RoK and four Vietnamese photographers as well as 30 works of six students from the two countries.

The exhibition will last through October 24.