Over 10 million USD Buddha statue carved into the highest mountain cliff in Vietnam: It took 10 years to complete, located amidst a 5,500m2 statue complex

Located in the famous That Son region of An Giang province, 284m above sea level, Mount Sam has a wild beauty. This is a strategic height that can observe and control a vast border area from Chau Doc city to Tinh Bien border line, from the fields of That Son region through Chau Phu district. 

In 2018, Mount Sam was one of 37 sites in An Giang recognized as a National Tourism Area with complexes of historical and cultural relics, classified as shrines like the Shrine of the Mountain Goddess, Tay An temple, Thoai Ngoc Hau tomb, Hang pagoda...

In particular, the festival worshipping the Mountain Goddess attracts millions of visitors annually. In 2001, the festival was recognized by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Festival. In 2014, the festival was further recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at National level.

Currently, the festival worshipping the Mountain Goddess of Mount Sam has been permitted by the Government to build profiles to submit to UNESCO for recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In addition, coming to Mount Sam today, visitors can admire the Buddhist architectural work carved directly into the mountainside. Specifically, the 81m high seated Buddha Shakyamuni statue started construction in March 2015. The solemnly placed statue is at the central position of the statue complex within a 5,500m2 yard, with the total construction cost of around 255 billion dong. The funding to build the Buddha statue was taken from the fund of the Shrine of the Mountain Goddess and mobilized from domestic and foreign sponsoring organizations, individuals.  

After completion, this will be the "world's tallest seated Buddha statue carved into rockface". Currently, the world's tallest Buddha statue carved into rockface is 71m high in Leshan, Sichuan, China.

The original mountainside was a quarry so carving the Buddha statue will enhance the landscape and develop tourism. It is expected that the Buddha statue will be completed in 2025. Currently, the upper body of the Buddha statue has been completed, only the legs and lotus seat continue to be carved.

The Buddha Shakyamuni statue complex is located on the west slope of Mount Sam, Vinh Tay hamlet (Nui Sam ward, Chau Doc city, An Giang province). This is the fourth component within the diverse 10ha complex of Mount Sam Cultural Park including infrastructure, exhibition of Vietnamese Buddhism, and ossuary. The 81m high seated Buddha Shakyamuni statue is connected with the 21m Birth of Buddha statue, 35m Snow Mountain Buddha statue and 49m Buddha's Parinirvana statue.

After completion, the world's tallest seated Buddha Shakyamuni statue (81m) is an opportunity for An Giang's tourism sector to attract more domestic and foreign visitors, helping Chau Doc city develop on par with its potential to become an important commercial and tourism center of An Giang province.