Construction begins on the monument to Phu Dong Thien Vuong.
On October 26th, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Association and the city of Hanoi began casting the first batch of bronze for the Saint Giong - Phu Dong Thien Vuong Monument in Phu Linh commune, Soc Son district, Hanoi.
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Sculptor Kim Xuan and the sketch of the Saint Giong Monument. (Photo: thanhgiong.vn) |
The statue of Saint Gióng is located at the summit of Đá Chồng mountain, 297m high, on the Sóc mountain range, and is part of the Sóc Temple-Non Pagoda-Vietnam Buddhist Academy complex.
Legend says this is where Saint Gióng, after defeating the enemy, removed his armor and ascended to heaven.
The monument was cast based on a design created by sculptor Kim Xuan, depicting a young saint holding a bamboo spear, urging his horse towards the blue sky. The statue is nearly 12 meters tall at its peak, extends 16 meters outwards, and is cast from pure copper.
The statue weighs approximately 85 tons. After casting, it was carried to the top of Da Chong mountain and is expected to be erected before the Soc Temple festival (the 6th day of the first lunar month).
The entire monument will be completed in September 2010, to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.
COMA Construction Machinery Corporation was the contractor for the statue's foundation. Nam Dai Phong Co., Ltd. and artisan Vu Duy Thuan (who successfully cast the bronze Buddha statue at Non Pagoda) directly cast the bronze statue of Saint Giong.
The Saint Giong Monument project was started by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information in July 2004 (phase 1), with the construction of access roads around the monument area.
In October 2007, the Hanoi People's Committee decided to transfer the project to build the Saint Giong Monument (implementation phase) to the Central Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Association as the investor, using a socialized investment method.
On January 26, 2008, the Vietnam Buddhist Association and the Hanoi People's Committee held a groundbreaking ceremony for a monument on the summit of Da Chong Mountain, Phu Linh commune, Soc Son district.
The total estimated cost for the project is approximately 50 billion VND, of which the statue casting alone accounts for about 25 billion VND.
According to VNA
