The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and Hanoi municipal authorities began casting a statue of legendary hero Giong on October 26, 2009 in Phu Linh Commune, Soc Son District, Hanoi.

The 11.7m-high and 13.5m-wide bronze statue, weighing 85 tonnes, is an image of Giong ascending to heaven on his iron horse after defeating northern invaders.

The statue is being constructed of 77 tonnes bronze, 4 tonnes tin and 4 tonnes lead, plus gold added by pilgrims who attended the casting ceremony.

Legend has it that the three-year-old Giong, born after his mother tried to fit her feet in the footprints of a giant, suddenly grew into a giant when invaders attacked the country. He asked the king for an iron horse and promptly chased the enemy out of the country with a sword and groves of bamboo. Once they were defeated, he and his horse flew into the sky from Soc Mountain in Soc Son District.

The statue, by sculptor Kim Xuan will be placed on Da Chong, the highest peak of Soc Mountain.

Artisan Vu Duy Thuan, one of the casters, said the casting was far more difficult than other statues. Placed on the peak, the statue would suffer the power of winds and storms, he said, requiring casters to work accurately to ensure the statue’s safety and durability.

The statue was of great spiritual significance as it would help teach younger generations about the nation’s traditions of patriotism and defence, said Most Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, a member of the Buddish Sangha Executive Council Standing Committee and head of the project’s management board.

To be built with donations at a cost of up to VND50 billion (US$2.8 million), the statue is a major project to celebrate the millennial anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi in 2010. It’s expected that parts of the statue will be carried to Da Chong during the twelfth lunar month, with the erection of the statue to be finished on the occasion of next year’s Giong Festival. The Giong Festival has been nominated to UNESCO for designation as the world’s intangible heritage. The festival depicts the patriotic ardor and love for freedom of the Vietnamese people and expresses their earnest gratitude for their national heroes. It intermingles a sincere devotion to the motherland with an earnest effort to preserve the nation’s cultural legacy.

The festival is celebrated on the ninth day of the fourth lunar month.