Most Venerable Thich Minh Luc, secretary general of the executive board of the Binh Duong Buddhist Sangha said local residents and Buddhist followers will have a chance to admire the giant statue at Hoi An Pagoda in Binh Duong province from November 18 to 23.

The sapphire Buddha is 2.52 metre high and weights 4 tons. It is one of the world’s largest Buddha sapphire statues.

The giant statue is placed in a container and brought from Binh Dinh to Binh Duong province. After seven days in Hoi An pagoda, on November 25 the statue will be taken to Go Ken pagoda in Hoa Thanh district in the southern province of Tay Ninh. Later, the statue will be brought to Australia, concluding its journey through 20 nations and 90 cities in the world.

The sapphire Buddha statue is carved by a Thai artisan from a nephrite boulder weighing 18 tons, which was discovered in the north of Vancouver, Canada. The statue was completed in 2008 and was taken around the world including six pagodas in Vietnam.