The drum bears the decorative patterns of Ngoc Lu bronze drums.

THANH HOA (VNS) — Metalworkers recently cast the world's biggest bronze drum at the private workshop of artisan Le Van Bay in the central province of Thanh Hoa's Thieu Hoa District.

The drum weighs eight tonnes, measures two metres in height and has a surface diameter of 2.7m. It bears the decorative patterns of Ngoc Lu bronze drums, which belong to the Dong Son civilisation (700BC-AD100).

The drum was cast by 20 workers over two months in response to an order from local businessmen. It will likely be completed by early November and exhibited at the locality before being handed over to the buyers.

The world's current biggest bronze drum, cast in China, has a surface of 1.8m in diameter.

Artisan Le Van Bay also cast the biggest bronze drum in Southeast Asia in 2009, 1.51 metres tall with a weight of 739 kilograms. — VNS