HA NOI (VNS)— A huge jade Buddha statue, about 1.6m high and weighing 2 tonnes, will be displayed at Cultural Friendship Palace in Ha Noi from November 22 to 24 to celebrate Viet Nam Buddhist Congress. It features Buddha Tran Nhan Tong sitting on a lotus with a gold-inlaid face.

Tran Nhan Tong, the Tran dynasty's third king, reigned for 15 years and was followed by his son. He founded the Truc Lam Zen sect.

The statue, completed on Monday after more than 4 months' work at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, HCM City, was made from a jade block imported from Canada.-VNS