Quintessential: The painting Two Women and a Child by late artist To Ngoc Van, currently preserved at the Viet Nam National Museum of Fine Arts, has been declared a national treasure.

HA NOI (VNS) — The Prime Minister recently recognised 37 new national treasures, including works from the Dong Son and Oc Eo cultures.

The Dong Son was a prehistoric Bronze Age culture centred in the Red River Basin in the north. Its influence can also be seen in other parts of Southeast Asia, including the Indo-Malayan Archipelago, from about 1,000 BC to 1 BC.

Exuding peace: The statue of Bodhisattva Kwan Yin with 1,000 hands and 1,000 eyes, dating back to the Le dynasty, is among 37 artifacts deemed national treasures by a prime ministerial decision.

Six ancient items that date back to the Dong Son Civilisation (2,000-2,500 years ago) include a bronze drum in the Hung King Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho and the Viet Khe boat-shaped grave currently preserved at the Viet Nam National Museum of History.

The grave demonstrates typical burial practices in the Dong Son era. Carved from a whole tree trunk, it was unearthed in 1961 in Viet Khe Commune, the northern port city of Hai Phong.

The Oc Eo Civilisation, which developed between the first and seventh century in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, contributed seven sets of ancient objects to the list, consisting of a collection of golden items which are kept in the Long An provincial museum and six statues of Buddha and deities.

Paintings by noted Vietnamese artists Nguyen Gia Tri, To Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can and Nguyen Sang are also among the new treasures.

The ancient items also include works from the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties (the 11th century to the 20th century).

Of the new treasures pronounced on Monday, none belongs to a private collection.

In October last year, the Government recognised 30 ancient items as national treasures. The new recognition brings the total to 67. — VNS