Dong Son Bronze Drum Presented to the APEC Secretariat by Viet Nam
The Government of Viet Nam has presented a replica of the Dong Son Bronze Drum to the APEC Secretariat in Singapore as an expression of appreciation for the Secretariat's role in the successful completion of APEC 2006 hosted by Viet Nam.
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Ambassador Mr. Nguyen Thanh Chau, head of the Vietnamese Delegation, praised the Secretariat's contribution to the success of APEC year 2006 and presented the drum to the Secretariat on behalf of the Vietnamese Government to the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Tran Trong Toan.
In receiving the gift Ambassador Toan said the Secretariat is once again proud to serve the host economy of what has been a particularly successful APEC year.
"It is only one month since APEC Leaders, Ministers and Officials met in Ha Noi for what is the most important event on the region's annual political calendar," Ambassador Toan said during the presentation of the drum.
"The Ha Noi Declaration, the accompanying Ha Noi Action Plan to Implement the Busan Roadmap Towards the Bogor Goals and the APEC Reform package are the most important outcomes that will enhance APEC cooperation for sustainable development and prosperity of the APEC region.
"It has been an immense pleasure for the APEC Secretariat to contribute to the success of APEC 2006".
Ambassador Toan congratulated Viet Nam for the successful conclusion of the APEC year 2006 and thanked the Government of Viet Nam for the meaningful gift presented to the Secretariat.
The Dong Son Bronze Drum is a reflection of the special cultural characteristics of the ancient Viet people. The first drum was invented three thousands years ago in northern Viet Nam by the Lac Viet, the remote ancestors of the Vietnamese people.
Made for religious ceremonies, rallying men for war, or for other secular roles, the drums were decorated with rich and well composed images of objects, humans and animals. Together these images provided a lively description of the Dong Son society and its people, their daily chores, spiritual life and ceremonial activities.
The Dong Son drums exhibit the advanced techniques and great skill in the lost-wax casting of large objects, which reached the level of artistic perfection.
"Signifying an important part of Vietnamese culture, the image of Dong Son Bronze Drum will now be housed in the Secretariat building along with gifts from other APEC members. Those items represent the rich and diverse culture of our region and contribute to enhancing the sense of an APEC community", said Ambassador Toan.