The unique spoon of Dong Son culture
Muoi dong is a typical artifact of Dong Son culture, with many diverse types of muoi found in this culture. According to information at the exhibition, muoi dong dates from around the 2nd century BC - 1st century AD.
Copper spoons in the shape of gourds are found quite a lot in Vietnam, but the tail of this artifact is the highlight, with a male character and a buffalo/cow horn. With a length of 31.5cm and a mouth diameter of 7.4cm and a weight of 630gr.
The handle (tail) of the spoon is usually curved and long, ending with a wide flared side. This part is shaped like a leaf or phoenix tail, stylized peacock tail. The most prominent point is the spiral patterns following each other.
Bronze bell set
The bronze bell set belongs to Dong Son culture, dating from about the 2nd century BC - 1st century AD, is one of the precious National Treasures being preserved and displayed at the Kinh Hoa Museum (Hanoi). This set of artifacts proves the top level of bronze casting of ancient Vietnamese people. The artifacts are cast entirely of bronze with sophisticated techniques, showing the high level of craftsmanship of ancient Vietnamese artisans.
Regarding technical specifications at the exhibition, the bronze bells have a height ranging from 26.5cm to 35cm, a weight of about 2,100gr to 3,970gr, an average thickness of 0.3cm to 0.5cm. The bell shape is usually a scale body, the mouth widened in an oval or angled rectangle shape, creating a solid but still soft overall.
The most prominent feature of the Dong Son bronze bell lies in the bell handle, where artisans not only create simple shapes but also cast into lively statue blocks. Many artifacts with handles are animal shapes such as dogs, elephants or stylized four-legged animals standing on top of the bell. Others also show images of humans riding animals, evoking the close relationship between humans and nature in the life of ancient residents.
The bell body is elaborately decorated with horizontal patterns arranged or divided into symmetrical cells. Geometric patterns appear commonly such as parallel diagonal lines, sawtooths, tangent triangles and especially spiral circles - typical characteristics of Dong Son art. Besides, some bells also depict Lac birds flying or standing, similar to patterns on bronze drums, along with stylized sun images with radiating rays.
Bronze armor set
The bronze armor belonging to Dong Son culture currently on display is one of the typical artifacts recognized as a National Treasure. The armor dates from about the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, reflecting the level of metallurgy and sophisticated crafting techniques.
The armor is made of many detached pieces, joined together to form a complete whole. In which, the neck and nape covering part consists of 2 pieces, the shoulder covering part consists of 4 pieces and the body covering part consists of 10 pieces. Each detail is carefully crafted, ensuring flexibility when used but still maintaining the necessary firmness.
The armor pieces are usually rectangular or scale-shaped, the edges are drilled with small holes to thread wires to connect, helping to fix the parts together. On the surface, artisan Dong Son has decorated many sophisticated patterns such as sun images, geometric motifs and characteristic diagonal lines. These details not only have aesthetic value but also clearly express the artistic thinking and spiritual life of the ancients.
Copper drum pot
The bronze drum pot according to documents at the exhibition is a typical artifact of Dong Son culture, dating from about the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. This is a fairly rare type of artifact, much smaller in number than bronze drums. At the "Colors of Culture" exhibition in 2026, the collection of bronze drum pots is considered one of the typical highlights, besides National Treasures.
In terms of shape, the bronze drum pot is a unique combination of a household item and the shape of a bronze drum. The body is in the shape of an inverted scale, 20cm high, the mouth is wider than the bottom with a mouth diameter of 41cm and the bottom diameter is only 28.5cm. On the body of the pot, there are often double handles cast in relief, both convenient for movement and can be used to hang even though the pot weighs 3,990gr. The entire artifact is made of brass, the surface is covered with a layer of green patina moss or gray-brown - traces of oxidation over time.
Decorative motifs on bronze drum pots are highly symmetrical and have many similarities with the art of decoration on Dong Son bronze drums. The mouth is usually covered by geometric patterns such as parallel diagonal lines, circles with dots in the middle or continuous serrated stripes. The rim of the pot is sometimes cast with small human or animal statue blocks, similar to those on bronze bells, contributing to increasing the aesthetics and symbolic value of the artifact.
