The Vietnamese government made several attempts to organise an investigation of the site but its efforts initially were confounded by the water depth of 230 feet (70 m).
Between 1996 and 1999, the team, which included the Vietnamese National Salvage Corporation and Oxford University’s Marine Archaeology Research Division, recovered nearly 300,000 artifacts.
The provenance of the pieces was known to be the kilns of the Red River Delta (such as Chu Dau) because excavations in the region had been ongoing since their discovery in 1983.
Vietnamese authorities became aware of the wreck following the arrest at Da Nang International Airport of two dealers who had in their possession suitcases full of pottery from the site.
In 1996, Malaysian-Chinese businessman Ong Soo Hin teamed up with Oxford University archaeologist Mensun Bound to work with Vietnam's National History Museum to excavate the site, with York Archaeological Trust providing conservation and photographic services.