The Team:
Dr Jun Kimura (Murdoch University) is a maritime archaeologist who undertook his PhD research
on East Asian Shipbuilding in the 13th and 14th centuries at Flinders University and has worked on the underwater
site at Takashima associated with the Mongol Empire invasion of Japan. Jun has been involved in the Bach Dang project
since 2008. His primary role in the project will include archaeological fieldwork and analysis of possible ship
remains at Bach Dang and Van Don.
Dr Le Thi Lien (Institute of Archaeology) is the Head of the newly established Underwater
Archaeology Department (UAD) and Assistant for International Cooperation at the Institute of Archaeology (Vietnamese Academy of
Social Sciences). Lien has worked at Bach Dang since the 1980s and has been a member of the international Bach Dang
and Van Don Research Team since 2008. She leads the archaeological fieldwork and is responsible for logistical
support.
Professor Mark Staniforth (Monash University) is a leading maritime archaeologist who has been
involved in the Bach Dang project since 2008. Mark is a member of two ICOMOS International Scientific Committees
– ICOMOS-ICAHM and ICOMOS-ICUCH. He was the NAS Senior Tutor in Australia for five years (1997-2002) and he is
now the NAS Senior Tutor for Vietnam. He will take responsibility for coordinating the NAS training project in
Vietnam.
Randall Sasaki (Institute of Nautical Archaeology) is a PhD Candidate in the Nautical Archaeology
Program at Texas A&M University. Randy has been a primary member of the Bach Dang research team since 2008. He has
knowledge and experience with 13th century Mongolian shipwrecks in Japan and will be involved in fieldwork in
future seasons.
Dr Paddy O’Toole (Monash University) is a social scientist whose research focus is collective
meaning and memory as they relate to organisations and communities. She has expertise in qualitative research
methods and commenced working the Bach Dang project in 2011. Her primary role in the project will be the
investigation of intangible cultural heritage and the collection of images, texts and stories at Bach Dang and Van
Don.
Bui Van Hieu (Institute of Archaeology) participated in NAS training in Hanoi in 2012 and assisted in the
English-Vietnamese interpretation for the training. In May 2013, he participated in the Underwater Archaeology training organized by SPAFA and UNESCO in Chanthaburi,
Thailand. He is assigned to the newly established Underwater Archaeology Department (UAD) of the Institute of Archaeology, under
the leadership of Dr. Le Thi Lien to respond to underwater archaeology activities in Vietnam and he participated in the 2013 season
of fieldwork.
John C. Pollack (Institute of Nautical Archaeology)was the Bach Dang surveying team leader in
2011 and 2012. John is a Canadian independent researcher and Research Associate with the Institute of Nautical
Archaeology. He has led a variety of archaeological and speleological mapping projects for over four decades.
He has a deep interest in this project and will continue to provide survey support including GIS work during future
fieldwork seasons.
Nguyen Thi Mai Huong (Institute of Archaeology) studies palaeobiology, pollen analysis in particular. She took
part in the Bach Dang research in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, she participated in the Underwater Archaeology training
organized by UNESCO in Chanthaburi, Thailand. In future, she will contribute to the study of palaeobiology and
environment of the sites.
Jean B. Pelletier (Institute of Nautical Archaeology) is a Senior Nautical Archaeologist and
Remote Sensing Specialist for URS Corporation. JB has been conducting terrestrial and marine archaeological remote
sensing surveys globally since 1984. He joined the Bach Dang Research team during the 2011 and 2013 field seasons, and he will
be involved in future fieldwork seasons in conducting geophysical survey.
Britt Burton is an Australian archaeologist who received her Masters in Maritime
Archaeology degree from Flinders University, Adelaide in 2010. She is an associate member of ICOMOS Australia and
has been involved in the Bach Dang and Van Don Battlefield research project in Vietnam since 2010. She will be
involved in future archaeological fieldwork as well as assisting with the Vietnam NAS training project.
Sarah Ward (Archaeomar Australasia) is a Senior NAS Tutor and a Maritime Archaeologist with over 13 years experience
in government and the private sector. She recently established ArchaeoMar Australasia, a specialist coastal and heritage marine
consultancy focused on Australasia and the Pacific.
Sean Adams (Institute of Nautical Archaeology) was the archaeological surveyor and side-scan sonar operator for the Van Don, Bach Dang and Nghe An
components in the 2013 fieldwork season. Sean is a Canadian independent researcher who has been involved with the Institute of Nautical
Archaeology project in the Yukon in association with John Pollack.
Tran Thi Minh (Institute of Archaeology) is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Archaeology
in Hanoi and she has been involved in the fieldwork seasons in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Dr Christy Briles (University of Colorado) is a palaeoecologist and biogeographer who joined the
project in 2012. She specializes in identifying and analyzing pollen and charcoal preserved in lakes and wetland
sediments to reconstruct vegetation and fire in the past. Christy will undertake palaeo-environmental
reconstruction at the Bach Dang site and on Quan Lan island.
Charlotte Minh Ha Pham (Murdoch University) is a maritime archaeologist who
specialises in boat building traditions and the maritime history of Central Vietnam. She has been conducting
studies on the traditional boats of Vietnam since 2007 and was involved in the 2009, 2010 and 2013 field seasons at
Bach Dang and Hoi An. Her PhD research aims to reconstruct the maritime landscape of central Vietnam (16th-19th century)
through boat ethnography and archival research.
Do Truong Giang (Alex),(National University of Singapore) is a PhD Candidate at the
History Department, National University of Singapore (NUS). He is writing a dissertation on the history of ancient
Champa kingdom(s) from the 9th to the 15th centuries CE.
George Belcher has a long-standing interest and involvement in Vietnam in particular at Hoi An where he hopes to see
a Maritime Museum established. He has been involved in the Bach Dang project since 2008 and has supported NAS
training in Vietnam.
Claude Dutuit (1931-2011) was on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) for many years
and he was a strong supporter of maritime archaeology research in Vietnam. Claude participated in the first season in 2008 and
provided financial support for that and subsequent seasons of fieldwork. Thanks for your support Claude!
Dr James Delgado (NOAA - USA) is a maritime archaeologist who helped to initiate the project and participated in the
2008 and 2009 field seasons. He wrote
Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armada and has a long-standing interest
in Vietnam.
Sophie Winton (SAHRA - South Africa) is an archeologist from South Africa who works with SAHRA, the South African heritage
management organisation. She discovered this project through the Commonsites page. Sophie joined us in 2013 for a week to
experience the Bach Dang story first hand.
Dave Ross,(Flinders University) is a Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) operator and was a graduate student in Maritime Archaeology
at Flinders University. He worked on the field season in 2011.
Pham Thanh Son (Institute of Archaeology) participated in NAS training in Hanoi (2012). In May
2013, he participated in the Underwater Archaeology training organized by SPAFA and UNESCO in Chanthaburi, Thailand.
He is assigned by the Institute of Archaeology to respond to the underwater archaeology activities in Vietnam,
under the leadership of Dr. Le Thi Lien and he was involved in the fieldwork season in 2012.
Doug Ingliss (Institute of Nautical Archaeology) is a graduate of the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A & M University
who now works an archaeologist in Hawaii. He worked on the field season in 2011.
Nguyen Duc Binh (Institute of Archaeology) was a student at the Institute of Archaeology
in Hanoi and he was involved in the fieldwork seasons in 2009 and 2010.
Veronica Morriss (Institute of Nautical Archaeology) is a graduate of the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A & M University
who now works an archaeologist in Hawaii. She worked on the field season in 2011.
