After over a year of crafting, the largest Buddha in Vietnam was officially unveiled on Apr. 8 at the Truc Lam Tay Thien Zen Monastery in Tam Dao district in the province of Vinh Phuc. Made of Vietnamese sapphire, the statue weighs 31 tonnes, and stands 3.45 metres high. Thousands of people gathered in the monastery yesterday for its inauguration.

According to Ngoc Chau, ${bigcity_Hanoi:"Hanoi"} Gem Association deputy chairman, the statue was created from six individual blocks of sapphire from central Nghe An Province. The job took three groups of craftsmen and more than a year to complete.

With Buddhism largely practiced in the country, the statue is seen as a symbolism of the Vietnamese people’s soul, spirit and love for peace. The Zen Monastery also inaugurated another stone Buddha Statue and began construction of the 49m high Buddha statue and tower on the nearby hill.