Statues of dragons have been prominently displayed on major streets in Nha Trang, including Tran Phu, Hoang Hoa Tham, and Tran Hung Dao, in front of restaurants, hotels, and major trade centers.
Among these statues, the ‘carp jumping the dragon gate’ statue at Yen Phi Park, where a Tet flower festival is currently taking place, is particularly impressive.
The lower part of the statue depicts carp moving upward, while the upper part is a meticulously sculpted dragon.
A flower street in Nha Trang City. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Pham Vinh Nghiep from the Nha Trang Urban Environment Joint Stock Company stated that the park’s decoration is currently being completed. Alongside the dragon statues, the park will also feature coracles and ships.
Meanwhile, craft villages in Nha Trang are busy creating small dragon statues as souvenirs.
Pham Thi My Le, the owner of My Oc center in Vinh Phuong Commune, Nha Trang City, mentioned that workers are actively making handicrafts from conch shells.
Dragon-shaped handicrafts are in high demand and are priced at VND70,000 (US$2.9) each, according to Le.
Workers complete miniatures on the flower street in Nha Trang City. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
In Truong Son craft village, located in Vinh Nguyen Ward, Nha Trang, two dragon statues stand impressively at a height of nearly 4.5 meters and a length of 10 meters each. These statues are made from synthetic plastic fibers.
Le Nguyen Ai Quynh, the manager of the craft village, mentioned that it took two months to complete the two statues.
The craft village also showcases a gliding dragon model with 54 sections, representing the 54 ethnic groups, and a length of 63 meters, symbolizing the 63 localities in Vietnam.
It took over a month to complete this model.
Le Nhu Thao, a visitor from Hanoi, expressed her admiration for the large handmade dragon model at the craft village, stating that she has seen many dragon statues but none as impressive as this one.
The craft village also creates small dragon models using Japanese clay and Vietnamese rice flour.
Children dance in a musical performance in front of a dragon statue in Nha Trang City. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
A dragon model made of conch. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Two dragon statues made of synthetic plastic fibers in Truong Son craft village in Nha Trang City. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
The toenails and scales of the dragon statue are manually crafted. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
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A 63-meter-long dragon statue. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Artisans create small dragon models out of clay. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
An artisan paints a small dragon model. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |