Dragon ewer ceramic Vietnam, mid 15th century Sometime during the mid 1990s fishermen from the historic port of Hoi An near Da Nang in central Vietnam began to find ceramic shards tangled in their nets. The source proved to be a ship sunk in the early 1400s. Over 150,000 complete ceramic pieces were recovered in addition to many shards mostly made in Vietnam. This dragon ewer is one of only three that were recovered from the shipwreck. The ewer was made in the kilns of the Red River Delta where high-fibred ceramics have been produced for hundreds of years. It is thought that this dragon ewer was destined for sale to a wealthy customer in Indonesia. The dragon is an auspicious symbol in Asia associated with rulers, good luck and with clouds, rain and water.