VietNamNet Bridge – All 1,000 Thang Long dragons were showcased on August 29 in the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

These dragons are cast by pure bronze, with two ruby-made eyes, based on the dragon symbolizing the Ly Dynasty. Each dragon is 3-3.5kg in weight and numbered 1 to 1000, with a certificate of origin.

They are specially produced for the capital city’s 1000^th anniversary.

The Italian Ambassador Andrea Perugini became the first person to receive a Thang Long dragon. General Vo Nguyen Giap is the second.

The two dragons, numbered 0001 and 1,000, will be auctioned off during a television program to raise funds for the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin on September 26.

The TV program, Rong Thieng Ngan Nam (Holy Dragons of a Thousand Years), will be broadcast from Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi.

The numbers 0001 and 1,000 attached to the two dragons are linked to two historic events, the year King Ly Thai To issued a royal proclamation to move the capital from Hoa Lu in present day Ninh Binh Province to Thang Long, now Hanoi, and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long.

The other 998 items are being auctioned off via email rongthanglong@gmail.com or on www.rongthanglong.vn until August 30, while others will be given as gifts during the anniversary events.

Close-up of 1000 Thang Long dragons:

Craftsmen were casting dragons.

A dragon before it is painted and decorated.

A craftsman was inlaying gemstones into a dragon.

A dragon with ruby eyes and a gem ball on his mouth.

The dragon numbered 246.

A finished dragon

Buddhist monks at the ceremony.

PV