Vietnam's 10-Year Project: Giant Buddha Carved into Southern Mountain

The monumental project to carve an 81-meter-tall seated Buddha statue directly into the mountainside at Sam Mountain in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam, has been underway for over a decade. While significantly exceeding initial timelines and increasing the total investment, the endeavor is poised to become one of the world's largest mountain-carved Buddha statues upon completion. The project, which commenced in March 2015, has currently achieved approximately 70% completion of the statue. Although the target completion date is set for the end of 2026, the project has undergone seven plan revisions and seen its investment grow from VND 255 billion to VND 456 billion. This means the completion will take more than double the initially projected time. Sam Mountain is an area of significant historical, cultural, and spiritual importance. This Buddha statue project is part of the "Sam Mountain Cultural Park" concept, aiming to create a new cultural and spiritual symbol for the region. The area previously faced challenges such as landscape alteration due to past quarrying activities and the presence of unmarked graves. The project aims to create new value while minimizing the impact on the existing landscape. Dr. Ngo Quang Lang, one of the project proponents, stated, "By utilizing the already quarried rock face, the statue will blend more naturally with the landscape than if an independent structure were erected." Regarding environmental impact, he explained that environmental impact assessments were conducted beforehand, and environmental monitoring is in place during construction. Upon completion, the statue is expected to surpass China's Leshan Giant Buddha (71 meters tall), becoming one of the world's largest mountain-carved Buddhas. This is anticipated to boost tourism in Sam Mountain and An Giang Province, attracting both domestic and international visitors. However, the project has encountered numerous difficulties. Issues such as the quality of the rock face leading to a change in the initial carving location, geological surveys, ensuring safety during high-altitude work, and construction halts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and expired blasting permits have all contributed to delays. The head of the sculpting team noted that significant time was required for fine-tuning the facial features. Furthermore, work in the mountainous terrain is heavily dependent on weather conditions, necessitating careful progress. The overall Sam Mountain Cultural Park is planned to include a ceremonial plaza, a Bodhi tree, rock formations, and green spaces, with an estimated total cost exceeding VND 1 trillion. A large portion of the park will be dedicated to green areas, water bodies, and open spaces to limit concrete development, preserve the natural terrain, and restore the impacted mountain slopes. Source: VnExpress