The first Quan The Am Festival was held in 1960 on the 19th day of the 2nd lunar month to inaugurated the Quan The Am (the Goddess of Mercy) Statue in Hoa Nghiem Cave on Thuy Son Mountain and became an annual event from 1991.

This year’s three-day festival is held monumentally with the display of the world’s largest jade statue of the Buddha.

The statue, named “The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace,” measures 3.5m tall, including the lotus base and fan throne, and weighs 4.5 tonnes.

The statue is modelled on the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha inside the Mahabodhi Stupa in India’s Bodh Gaya.

It is carved from an 18-tonne Nephrite jade boulder called “Polar Pride” found in Canada in 2000 and considered the world’s largest piece of pure jade. The rock was transported in late 2006 from Vancouver in Canada to   Bangkok, Thailand, where Thai sculptors finished the statue a full two years later.

The statue has been displayed at the pagoda from March 13-15, the first destination of its world tour before being placed permanently at the Mahabodhi Stupa of the Atisha Centre in Australia.

On display at the festival also included a 2.4m x 6.1m painting made of waste cans, which depicts the overview of Danang City.

On this occasion, the festival’s organising board will hold auction sale of best calligraphy works to raise fund for Agent Orange victims.

The exhibition attracted 12,000-14,000 visitors a day.

Vietnamese gong artists gave 2-3 gong culture performances each day from October 24-27, 2008 and took part in displays and conferences on the protection of intangible culture in the face of globalisation.

The region of gong culture in Vietnam’s Central Highlands was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in November 2005.

Kim Jeong-jae, a member of the organising board, said he was particularly interested in the Central Highland culture.

Delegates called for governments to increase infrastructure investment for the tourism sector and encourage both local and foreign companies to invest in the three countries’ economic development triangle.

The triangle area includes Vietnamese provinces of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Dak Nong, Lao provinces of Atopu, Sekong, and Salavan, and Cambodian provinces of Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, and Mondunkiri.

At present, Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces of Vietnam arrange tours to Cambodian and Lao localities through the Bo Y border gate.

The fingerprints of the artisans are still visible on several pieces. Archaeologists believe the goods may have been produced for sea travel because the site, the east side of Tuan Chau Island, was once a busy port.

The pottery was a goldmine for archaeologists, Dong says. “These items, especially those made before the tenth century, are very important in researching the ancient art of pottery. The pottery is not just important for Quang Ninh Province, but it tells us more about Vietnamese culture at that time.”

In July 2009, Quang Ninh Province Museum is teaming up with the Viet Nam Archaeology Institute and l’Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient (EFEO) to excavate the site, according to museum director Tran Trong Ha.

“Hopefully, the site will help to bring more tourists to the area,” Dr Dong says.