Đào Thịnh bronze jar

The Đào Thịnh bronze jar is a cylindrical vessel that was discovered near Đào Thịnh village and is now preserved at the National Museum of Vietnamese History. The object stands 98 centimeters tall with a mouth opening roughly 61 centimeters across and a base measuring about 60 centimeters in diameter.

The object surfaced during a landslide in 1961 at a location near the Red River in Yen Bai province. It dates to the Dong Son period, a time when bronze working techniques reached a sophisticated level in this region.

The jar displays four pairs of human figures on its lid, reflecting the artistic style that craftspeople applied to everyday bronze objects of that era. These carved figures show how people of the time valued decorative detail even in functional containers.

The object is kept at the National Museum of Vietnamese History in Hanoi where it is displayed alongside other bronze pieces from the same period. Visitors can observe the craftsmanship up close and learn more about how such items were made and used in daily life.

Excavation revealed ash, a human tooth, and a smaller bronze vessel inside, suggesting this piece served both as a burial offering and a functional storage container. This mixture of grave goods points to how people combined practical use with spiritual or memorial purposes.