The huge jade statue of Goddess of Mercy arrived in Vietnam on January 20.

This statue was bought by the Goddess of Mercy Pagoda in the central province of Da Nang. The statue is 1.1m high and it was made from a jade block in Canada, which was also used to sculpt the world peace jade Buddha statue. This statue came to Vietnam in early 2009.

The statue will be placed at the Goddess of Mercy pagoda in Da Nang for one day for Buddhist followers to visit.

Today, January 21, it is being brought to Hanoi to place at the Tao Sach pagoda in Lac Long Quan Street, Tay Ho district for one week, January 22-27.

The statue is nearly 300kg in weight and is the biggest jade statue in Vietnam. The statue has 1,000 hands and 18 arms. The longest arm is 30cm and the shortest is 5cm.

After Hanoi, the statue will go to the Ve pagoda in the port city of Hai Phong, the Quang Minh pagoda in the southern province of Binh Phuoc and the Quan Am pagoda in the southern province of Dong Nai before it returns to the Goddess of Mercy Pagoda in Da Nang.

According to the Goddess of Mercy Pagoda, Singapore pagodas have invited the statue to Singapore in March 2010.

PV