Archaeological excavation in this area proved that human living in what is now Quảng Bình province in the Stone Age period. Many artifacts, such as ceramic vases, stone tools, and china, have been unearthed in Quảng Bình.
In 1926, a French female archaeologist, Madeleine Colani discovered and excavated many artifacts in caves and grottoes in west mountainous areas of Quảng Bình. She concluded that there existed the Hòa Bình culture in this region. Through C14 dating test, the artifacts here dated back to 10,509 (plus or minus 950) ago. From Quy Đạt township (Tuyên Hóa) to southwest about 150 m, the Hum grotto contains many stone tools and animal stones from an ancient human community. Inside Khai grotto near the Quy Đạt township, similar artifacts were found, including ceramics from Đông Sơn culture. Additionally, artifacts of the Stone Age period were unearthed in some grottoes in the Quảng Bình region. Owners of these artifacts lived in the caves and grottoes and hunted for their food.
Human settlement in Đồng Hới can be traced 5,000 years back. Many relics and remnants have been found in Bau Tro, a lake in the city, most of which belong to the Stone Age period. Around 2880 BC, the site of modern Đồng Hới was a territory of Viet Thuong tribe of Văn Lang (Vietnam) during the reign of king Hùng Vương. The site was long a disputed territory between the Champa kingdom and Đại Việt. It officially became Đại Việt territory in 1069 after Ly Thuong Kiet took victory over Champa in this area as a result of the Đại Việt-Champa War (1069). The area ceased to be the southernmost of Đại Việt following the political marriage of the Trần Dynasty princess, Huyền Trân, to Champa king, Jaya Sinhavarman III (Vietnamese: Chế Mân). Princess Huyền Trân was king Trần Nhân Tông's daughter and king Trần Anh Tông's younger sister. Political matches made to acquire land was a traditional practice by
