The presence of four bronze drums and some bronze items of the Dong Son culture indicate that this area might have been part of the Tan Hung region in the period of Hung Kings - founders of the country. The authors have published the distinctive characteristics, artifacts, and dates of the Bronze Age sites in these three provinces to support research efforts by other domestic and foreign scientists. | Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau in Bronze Age Data and New Perception Trinh Sinh*, Nguyen Thi Hao**, Nguyen Tho Dinh*** Abstract: Based on the archaeological records obtained from excavations, investigations, and test excavations at 87 Bronze Age sites in Dien Bien, Son La, and Lai Chau provinces, the authors initially reconstructed a pre- and proto-historic picture of the Northwest of Vietnam. The presence of four bronze drums and some bronze items of the Dong Son culture indicate that this area might have been part of the Tan Hung region in the period of Hung Kings - founders of the country. The authors have published the distinctive characteristics, artifacts, and dates of the Bronze Age sites in these three provinces to support research efforts by other domestic and foreign scientists. Key words: Archaeology; Dien Bien; Son La; Lai Chau; Bronze Age; bronze drum; Dong Son culture; Hung Kings. 1. New perceptions . Archaeological sites Until the present time, 87 archaeological sites have been identified in the three provinces of Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau. A number of artifacts from the Bronze Age have been unearthed, proving that they had been used and probably onsite manufactured. However, most of them were accidentally found in the noncultural deposits. All four Dong Son drums (Ban Thom, Da Do, Ban Beo and Ta Khoa) were retrieved underground without any items accompanied. A majority of other bronze items were also observed in the noncultural deposits. . Residential sites Stratigraphically, the thick and unambiguous cultural deposits are very scarce in this region. No site has ever been documented to expose any cultural deposit similar to that of the*Pre-Dong Son and Dong Son sites in the northern and north central plain and midland regions. For this reason, it is likely that people of the Bronze Age did not stay long**in one open unsheltered place. Several cave sites also display***not very thick and clear cultural deposits. Most of the cultural .
