The oldest southeast Asian Sanskrit inscription -- - called the Vo - canh inscription -- so far discovered is near Nha Trang , Vietnam .
Sanskrit is dated to the late 2nd - century to early 3rd - century CE .
The oldest southeast Asian Sanskrit inscription -- - called the Vo - canh inscription -- so far discovered is near Nha Trang , Vietnam , and it is dated to the late 2nd - century to early 3rd - century CE .