The Evolution of Hoabinhian Lithic Technology from the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene in Northern Vietnam

PHẠM Thanh Sơn

The Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene marks a period of significant transformation in lithic technological systems associated with the Hoabinhian tradition in northern Vietnam and mainland Southeast Asia. However, the nature and trajectory of these technological changes remain insufficiently explored and synthesized. This paper presents preliminary results from a systematic study of cave and open-air Hoabinhian sites in northern Vietnam, dated from approximately 42.0 ka to 10.0 ka, based on securely dated archaeological contexts. The results indicate that in cave and rockshelter contexts, unifacial flaking techniques predominated during the period from 42.0 to 15.0 ka. After 15.0 ka, while this technological tradition persisted, bifacial reduction strategies emerged and became increasingly widespread. In contrast, stratified open-air sites, despite exhibiting broadly comparable tool typologies, consistently maintained a predominance of unifacial reduction methods. This technological divergence may reflect different adaptive strategies between cave-dwelling and open-air populations. While cave assemblages demonstrate clear shifts in lithic technological organization associated with tool forms, open-air assemblages tend to retain more conservative technological practices. Finally, this paper addresses the question of who made Hoabinhian industry and explores the relationship between culture and technology within the broader context of Late Pleistocene environmental changes in northern Vietnam and adjacent regions.