Thousands of pilgrims flocked to the Yen Tu religious and historical site in Quang Ninh Province yesterday to attend the unveiling ceremony of a bronze statue of the King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong. The 15m-high and 150-tonne statue sits on top of the Yen Tu Mountain. The unveiling is among several activities marking the 705th anniversary of the founder of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism's attainment of Nirvana. Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third king of the Tran dynasty, is famous for defeating Mongol invaders twice during his 15-year reign. The King abdicated the throne when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life on the Yen Tu Mountain practising and propagating Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam School of Zen and worked to unify different Vietnamese Buddhism sects into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan