Work started Thursday on the construction of a towering Buddha statue at a signature pilgrimage hot spot in a southern Vietnamese province.

A ceremony was held yesterday to kick off the building of a Buddha statue standing 81 meters tall on Sam Mountain, according to the management of Sam Mountain Cultural Park, located in Chau Doc City in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.

The statue, which features the Buddha in a seated mediation posture, will be carved onto the mountain surface.

Construction costs are estimated at VND255 billion (US$11.88 million), which comes from the park’s tourism revenue and contributions from local and foreign inpiduals and organizations.

The statue will be placed next to three other Buddha statues, which measure some 10 meters tall each, on a 5,500m² area.

Sam Mountain is home to several nationally recognized relics including Ba Chua Xu Temple, Thoai Ngoc Hau Mausoleum, and Hang Pagoda, as well as spectacular landscapes.

Ba Chua Xu Temple is typically packed with pilgrims and visitors during Tet (Lunar New Year), which began on February 19 this year and ended last week, and the fourth lunar month.

Tuoitrenews.vn