Southeast Asia’s largest Buddha statue inaugurated

Thousands of Buddhist followers and pilgrims from all regions of the country gathered on Phat Tich Mountain in Bac Ninh province’s Tien Du district on September 25 to witness the inauguration of a giant Buddha statue on the top of the mountain.
The statue, which measures 27 metres high and weighs 3,000 tonnes, is one of the largest stone statues in Southeast Asia and the first of its kind in Vietnam.
The statue is based on the model of Amitabha Buddha statue which was made of stone during the Ly dynasty.
It took three years to complete the work, which cost VND75 billion (US$3.8 million) sourced from the State budget and donations made by organisations, individuals and Buddhist followers nationwide.
On September 26, a ceremony was also held in Tien Du district to name the Phat Tich Pagoda project celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.
The project to renovate Phat Tich Pagoda has a total investment of over VND50 billion. After two years of execution, the project has restored 82 iron wood compartments and upgraded 150 metres of stone jetty.
Phat Tich pagoda is a cultural and historical relic in Vietnam which contains cultural and sculptural values of the Ly dynasty.
Besides keeping the Amitabha Buddha stone statue dating back to the 10th-11th centuries, which is considered a precious object, the pagoda is also a Buddhist cultural centre and a place where the Buddhism rose up in Vietnam.