The Ngoc Lu Bronze Drum is an important artifact of the Dong Son culture of the Bronze Age, a civilization that flourished in first millennium B.C. in the Red River Delta of Vietnam. Around 1893 – 1894, workers accidently discovered the drum while working on the construction of the levee of the Red River near the village. They named the drum Ngoc Lu after the name of their village. Historians and archaeologists highly value the drum because of its well-preserved and richly decorated nature.

This artifact demonstrates advanced bronze metallurgy skills of the ancient Vietnamese people. It symbolizes the peak of skills and arts of the Hung dynasty in Vietnam. The tympanum has three panels with animals or humans separated by bands of geometric and circular patterns. This bronze replica of the Ngoc Lu Drum was moulded in 1975 by the National Museum of History of Vietnam, using the traditional method of bronze metallurgy. The replica is of identical dimension, shape, and decorative style as the original Ngoc Lu Bronze Drum.

During the United Nations 50th Anniversary, President Le Duc Anh presented the gift at an unveiling ceremony where Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali accepted the gift on behalf of the United Nations.  

In 1995, Vietnam celebrated both the United Nations 50th Anniversary and the 50th Anniversary of Vietnam’s Independence Day. The President said that Vietnam was proud to display the artifact due to its link to the long history of the Vietnamese nation and that it represented the ever-growing relationship between Vietnam and the United Nations.