HA NOI — A statue of mythical savour of the nation Saint Giong will be unveiled tomorrow on top of Da Chong Mountain in the Ha Noi district of Soc Son.
Leaders of Ha Noi's People's Committee and monks from the Viet Nam Buddhists Sangha will be officiating at the ceremony, which will involve inviting the saint to recognise his statue, in accordance with Vietnamese custom.
The 9.9m copper statue of the saint holding a grove of bamboo in his hand while flying off into the sky on his horse, is one of the major projects commissioned to celebrate Ha Noi's millennium in October.
The 85-tonne statue was designed by sculptor Nguyen Kim Xuan. Following casting, the statue was carved by artists from Nam Dai Phong Company led by Vu Duy Thuan.
The project cost VND60 billion (US$3.1 million), half of which went on casting the statue, which began last October, while the remainder was spent on beautifying the site in which the saint will stand. To mark the millennium, 1,000 pine trees were planted around the statue.
Legend has it that Giong was born after his mother stepped into the footprints of a giant.
At the age of three, when Giong suddenly grew into a giant himself, invaders were attacking the country. Legend has it that while wielding an enormous iron rod and an entire grove of bamboo, Giong chased the invaders out of the country on the back of an iron horse presented to him by the king. Following the enemies' flight, Giong and his horse took off into the sky from Soc Mountain, never to be seen again. — VNS