Sculptor Pham Van Hang from HCM City has expressed his wish to present a statue of French linguist Alexandre de Rhodes to Hanoi on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the capital city.

The statue of French linguist Alexandre de Rhodes, created by Phan Van Hang.

Hang said that the idea to make a statue of the French linguist in Hanoi came from former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.

The sculptor finished this work last autumn, which is now in the suburbs of Thu Dau Mot town, the southern province of Binh Duong.

The 3m-high, 2m-wide, 43-tonne statue is made of granite taken from a mountain in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Hanoi authorities have announced they will send some experts to Binh Duong to see the work.

Linguist Alexandre de Rhodes was the one who laid the foundation for theVietnamese language. He published the first Vietnamese dictionary and grammar in 1651 in Rome, Italy.

VietNamNet/TT