Published:  00:00 Monday - December 01, 2008

With over 11,500 items on display, including pre-history objects and ancient ceramics, the Lam Dong Museum is the biggest museum in the Central Highland region to date.

The museum was built in 2006 under the guidance of the National Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism.

It consists of a main hall, an open-air exhibition area, and three traditional houses of the three local ethnic minority groups - the K’ho, Ma and Churu.

On display are rare and valuable artifacts relating to the culture, history and development of the region from the earliest times to the present day, with a particular focus on ethnic communities.

The museum opened last December with an exhibition of 1,000 items, images and documents, which were on cultural heritage of ethnic groups residing in Lam Dong province and their relationship with other groups in Vietnam.

Its management board has commended individuals who discovered and donated three valuable antiques, including a Dong Son bronze drum dating back 2,000 years. This is the first bronze drum found in Lam Dong province, according to Bui Chi Hoang of the Ho Chi Minh City Archaeology Institute.

‘The museum now stores the precious drum with strange patterns, which is different from other bronze drums I have seen.” he said.

The museum also showcases the natural heritage of Lam Dong Various species of flora and fauna prove the variety of bio-diversity there.

The management board is trying to organise many more activities, aiming to attract tourists to the cultural centre.