The Neolithic of Vietnam

The Neolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia is considered to be the period of human prehistory that commenced with the transition from hunting and gathering into mixed economies of foraging and farming. It lasted until the appearance of copper and bronze metallurgy and thus dates between circa 2500 and 1200 BC. In Vietnam, Neolithic sites and cultures are recorded especially around the edges of the Red River delta, along the northern and central coasts, and in the southern river basins between the Đông Nai and lower Mekong. This period of Vietnamese prehistory was characterized by the southward movements of East Asian Neolithic populations from southern China across Mainland Southeast Asia, the introduction of cereal cultivation (rice and foxtail millet), and the management of domesticated pigs and dogs. The Neolithic of Vietnam also reveals material culture relationships extending from southern China to central Thailand. Recent research is also starting to highlight social and cultural diversity during this period, together with the development of significant exchange networks.