Vietnam’s archeological treasures tour Germany

The book is co-produced by Vietnam and Germany to introduce readers to Vietnam's artifacts, history, and culture.

The exhibition at the Reiss Engelhorn Museum opened on September 16 and is scheduled to last until January next year. Shown across 500 square meters of the museum’s second floor, the artifacts, which date back from the Iron Age to the Nguyen dynasty (until 1945), include stone and terracotta statues of sacred animals, bronze drums, ship wreckages, funeral utensils, and gemstone spears.

Doctor Nguyen Van Cuong, Director of the Vietnam National Museum of History, said “We display the artifacts in chronological order from the stone age to bronze age and Vietnam’s feudal regime. Our German partners also add antiques of Vietnam’s traditional handicraft villages and contemporary life. We also categorize the exhibits based on their regions of origin, for example, the Dong Son culture in the north, the Cham Pa and Sa Huynh culture in the central region, and the Oc Eo and Phu Nam culture in the south.” 

Earlier, the antiques were displayed at the LWL Museum for Archaeology in Herne city from October 2016 to February 2017 and at the State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz in Chemnitz city from March to August this year. Doctor Josef Mühlenbrock, Director of the LWL Museum for Archaeology, described this exhibition as one of the most successful that his Museum has ever hosted. 

The exhibition is also the inspiration for a book co-produced by the 2 countries and published in Germany. Doctor Cuong said “Articles written by both German and Vietnamese archeologists in this book give readers a better understanding of Vietnamese culture. The exhibition and the book have combined to provide easier access to Vietnamese history culture”. 

It took Vietnamese and German archeologists 9 years to create the exhibition, which has welcomed 100,000 visitors so far.