According to Nguyen Manh Cuong, deputy director of Lao Cai Museum, the drum was accidentally found at a construction site of Hoang Thi Vang’s family in Bao Thang District.

The bronze drum found in Lao Cai

Artefacts such as bones and bronze axes were also excavated at the site. 

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent staff to the site and co-operated with local authorities to encourage the family to hand over the objects to Lao Cai Museum.

The drum, which has been named the Gia Phu bronze drum, is 38cm in height and 67.5cm wide. Its tympan is 63cm in diameter, while its barrel is 23cm in height.

Experts said it is a Dong Son bronze drum – an icon of the Dong Son culture (700 BC-100 AD) of the ancient people that lived in what is now northern Vietnam. It will contribute to confirming the long-term development of ancient communities in the northern border area.

The tympan is emblazoned with a solar star with 12 rays in the middle, surrounded by peacock feathers and symmetrical saw-tooth patterns.

Lao Cai Museum is also displaying another bronze drum named Pha Long believed to belong to the Dong Son culture, originating in Vietnam 2,000-2,500 years ago. It was excavated by a local resident.

Early this year, the Pha Long drum was recognised as one of the country’s 22 national treasures.