The Prime Minister issued a decision to recognise 37 more national treasures on December 30. Six ancient items that date back to the Dong Son civilisation (2,000-2,500 years ago), including a bronze drum in the Hung King temple in the northern province of Phu Tho, were on the list.
The Oc Eo civilisation, which developed between the first and seventh century, contributed eight sets of ancient objects to the list, including a collection of golden items which are kept in the Long An provincial museum.
The Dong Son was a prehistoric Bronze Age culture in Vietnam which was centred in the Red River Basin in the north. Its influence has also been found in other parts of Southeast Asia, including the Indo-Malayan Archipelago, from about 1,000 BC to 1 BC. Its most well-known and prized antique is the Dong Son bronze drum.
Meanwhile the Oc Eo culture was located in the Mekong Delta provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho and Bac Lieu, and part of Cambodia.
Paintings of four big names in the Vietnamese modern art, Nguyen Gia Tri, To Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can and Nguyen Sang were included in the list of national treasures.
The ancient items also include those from the Ly, Tran, Le to Nguyen dynasties (the 11 th century to the 20 th century).
In October 2012, the Government recognised 30 ancient items as national treasures.