VIET NAM PRESENTS GIFT OF ANCIENT DRUM REPLICA TO UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
HQ/560
VIET NAM PRESENTS GIFT OF ANCIENT DRUM REPLICA TO UNITED NATIONS
19951025 Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali received today the gift of a bronze replica of the ancient Ngoc Lu drum from Viet Nam. At the presentation ceremony, Vietnamese President Le Duc Anh said it was a great honour to give to the United Nations this replica of the Ngoc Lu drum relic, which dated from the first millennium B.C. He said Viet Nam was proud to display the drum replica at United Nations Headquarters, since it was closely linked to the long history of the Vietnamese nation.The relic was also a meaningful token of the ever-growing relationship between Viet Nam and the United Nations, the President said, especially in 1995, when Viet Nam celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its independence day and the United Nations commemorated its fiftieth anniversary. The President reiterated that Viet Nam would continue to do its utmost to work toward the attainment of the goals set forth in the United Nations Charter.
United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said it was an honour for the Organization to receive the gift. For the United Nations, he continued, the past few days had seen a harvest of hope. But harvests, he said, required patience and hard work. The United Nations was only 50 years young. Compared to the history of the drum, 50 years was only the start of the season of growth. The Secretary-General thanked the Government and people of Viet Nam, and the National Museum of History of Viet Nam and its workers who had made the replica, saying it was a symbol to cherish. The gift was unveiled in the corridor between the Security Council and the Trusteeship Council.