The study on Dong Son drums in Vietnam to date can be divided into 5 basic stages: Stage 1: The 19th century and before; Stage 2: The French Domination stage (1858-1954), when the Dong Son drums were studied by foreigners, mainly by the French; Stage 3: from the time Vietnam regained independence (1954) to 1974; Stage 4: Between 1975 and 1990; Stage 5: Since 1991. Prior to 1990, 150 bronze drums were found and studied in Vietnam. During 16 years, 1990-2004, the number of drums found was doubled to 300. The studies with the multi-disciplinary approach enable us to have a new perception of Dong Son drums, more accurate in terms of their dates and distributions: - The Dong Son drums in the group A have the earliest dates. About the 4th-3rd century BC. The group D lasted until the 16th century; - The centres of Dong Son drums in the Dong Son cultural areas are Thanh Hoa, Lao Cai (the centre of Dong Son drums A4). The number of Dong Son drums found outside of the Dong Son cultural areas dramatically increased during the 16 years (1990-2004). The provinces where Dong Son drums were found are Quang Tri, Thua Thien- Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa in the central Vietnam; Gia Lai. Dac Lac and Lam Dong in Tay Nguyen (3 drums) and Binh Phuoc, Ben Tre, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Kien Giang in the Southern areas.