The 31- tonne sapphire Buddha statue is the biggest one of its type in Viet Nam.- File Photo

HA NOI – Thousands of people gathered in the Truc Lam-Tay Thien Zen Monastery yesterday for the inauguration of the world's biggest Buddha statue made from sapphire in Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province.

According to the Venerable Thich Kien Nguyet, managing monk of the monastery, the statue weighs 31 tonnes, is 3.45 metres high and made from Vietnamese sapphire.

Ha Noi Gem Association deputy chairman Ngoc Chau said the statue was made from six individual blocks of sapphire from central Nghe An Province. The job took three groups of craftsmen more than a year to complete.

The Zen Monastery also inaugurated another stone Buddha Statue and kicked off construction of a 49m high Buddha statue and tower on a nearby hill. – VNS