A pristine 19th-century bronze cannon has been discovered in the sea off central Quang Ngai Province's Binh Son District.—Photo vnexpress

QUANG NGAI (VNS)— A pristine 19th-century bronze cannon has been discovered in the sea off central Quang Ngai Province's Binh Son District.

The cannon, which is 70cm long and weighs 35kg, was unearthed by a group of masons last week during construction of a sea dyke in Binh Hai Commune, 30km northeast of Quang Ngai City.

"It's the first untouched cannon that we have found in the province," said the city's museum director Phan Dinh Do. "The gun barrel still retains the Han Chinese script, stating that it was cast in the time of Minh Mang King of the Nguyen dynasty in 1834."

"Most cannons we've collected have been made of iron, but this is the first gun made from bronze. It's also the smallest gun we have seen so far," Do said.

He added the museum would store the gun and put it on public display as soon as possible.

In 2009, locals also found five tonnes of iron cannon balls in the Sa Ky sea area. — VNS