With nearly 3,000 artifacts dating back before the 15th century, this is the largest collection of Vietnamese artifacts outside of Vietnam. The artifacts are arranged based on two main criteria: chronology and theme, making it easy for visitors to follow the development of Vietnamese art and culture through various periods.
Visitors begin their journey exploring Vietnam from its earliest civilizations, featuring artifacts from the Dong Son culture in the North, Sa Huynh culture in the Central region, and Oc Eo culture in the South. Highlights include stone jewelry, stone axes, bronze daggers, and ceramic human figurines.
A highlight of the exhibition is the Dong Son bronze drums, a unique cultural symbol of Vietnam. Additionally, visitors can admire masterpieces of ceramics from the Ly and Tran dynasties.
The collection was acquired by the museum from collector Clément Huet in 1952. Huet had worked in Vietnam and gathered numerous cultural artifacts from the country. The collection provides an overview of Vietnamese culture and art before the 20th century./.
