Yanks gain new insight through “Art of Ancient Vietnam”

Over 100 artefacts dating back to the first millennium BC are on display at the office of the Asia Society in New York, with many of them going abroad for the first time.
The exhibition themed “Art of Ancient Vietnam: from River Plain to Open Sea” showcases artistic objects featuring four key stages of development in Vietnamese cultural history.
The first area of the exhibition covers the Dong Son-Sa Huynh culture from the first millennium BC to the second century AD. This stage was considered the first “golden era” of Vietnam, consisting of two famous civilisations--the Dong Son in the north and Sa Huynh in the central region. Highlights in this regard are bronze objects such as drums, bells, jewellery and tools specific to the Dong Son culture, along with huge pots, jewellery, weapons and belongings of the burial customs unique to the Sa Huynh culture.
The second part spotlights the Mekong Delta culture from the first to the fifth century AD, which was better known as the Funan civilisation. On show are also artefacts of the Oc Eo culture, a large part of the Funan Kingdom , proving to have a busy East-West trade link in the ancient time.
The third area illustrates Champa art from the fifth to 15th century with a large number of sculptures, pottery and metal objects specific to the Cham ethnic minority.
The fourth division showcases porcelain and provides a portrait of commercial activities in the ancient town of Hoi An from the 16th to 18th century.
Addressing the opening ceremony, the Director of the Asia Society Museum , Melissa Chiu, said that until today, most Americans only know Vietnam through the war staged by the US in the southeast Asian country.
She added that the exhibition is expected to give Americans a fresh perspective on Vietnam, as an ancient culture of a rich history comprised of various ethnic Vietnamese groups.
During its long development history, Vietnam established a bustling trade link between Asia and the West, as illustrated by the artefacts in this exhibition, Chiu said.
President of the Asia Society-New York Vishakha Desai said her association has played a vanguard role in promoting the Vietnamese culture to the American public.
Desai said even before the Southeast Asian country and the US normalised diplomatic relations, she and her colleagues from the Asia Society had already visited Vietnam to study the opportunity for organising such an exhibition.
After a number of years’ study, the exhibition was opened to mark a leap forward in relations between Vietnam and the US, said the US President.
Vu Quoc Hien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Historic Museum, told Vietnam News Agency that the exhibit charts the steps of Vietnam ’s global integration through the Dong Son, Sa Huynh and Oc Eo cultures, which had already been influenced by their foreign contacts.
“Vietnam has held similar exhibitions at major international museums, thus promoting the national image and ‘Vietnamese trademark’ to the world,” he said.
Ambassador Bui The Giang, Deputy Head of the Vietnamese mission at the UN, said the exhibition’s title “From River Plain to Open Sea ” accurately sums up Vietnam ’s cultural development.
He added the exhibits have not only confirmed Vietnam’s cultural identity but also proven the country’s exposure to foreign concepts.
“The exhibition will contribute to boosting mutual understanding and relations between Vietnam and the US,” said the Vietnamese diplomat.