Mr. Son Kieu Phong (46 years old, residing in Ward 8, Tra Vinh City, Tra Vinh Province) is the owner of the sculpture "Nhat Long Giang".

This "unique" sculpture is being displayed by Mr. Phong at his family's coffee shop for visitors to admire.

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Front of the work "Nhat Long Giang". Photo: TL

Mr. Phong loves wood sculptures. Therefore, when he has free time, this man often goes everywhere to buy large tree stumps, hires people to dig them up, and asks skilled craftsmen to create unique works for display.

In 2019, he accidentally saw a huge oil tree stump cut down in a garden of a house in Tra Vinh. After some investigation, he learned that this oil tree was over 300 years old, with a trunk diameter of about 2m.

After agreeing on a price, Mr. Phong hired workers to dig up the base of the tree and then hired a truck to transport it back. He said the transportation took a lot of time and money because the base of the tree was long and heavy.

Having obtained the precious tree root, Mr. Phong began to study the technique and come up with sculptural ideas for the work. Finally, the Tra Vinh man chose the theme of Vietnamese culture, history and nature.

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Mr. Phong with his unique work. Photo: TL

From the unique and creative design of Mr. Phong, combined with the talented hands of the excellent artisan Son Soc (at Hang Pagoda, Tra Vinh province), the work named "Nhat Long Giang" was completed in 14 months, from December 2020 to February 2022.

When completed, the work weighed nearly 9 tons, was 6 meters long and 4 meters high. The special feature of this work is that it was carved on both sides from a single piece of eucalyptus tree.

The front is engraved with 12 zodiac animals, surrounded by 12 doves symbolizing peace and prosperity. In the center of the front is a large clock with an image of a map of Vietnam with all the archipelagos, the symbol of Ba Dinh Square and the image of Tra Vinh welcome gate... Around the clock are images of 12 Lac birds, symbolizing the transmission of Vietnamese culture.

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Back of the work "Nhat Long Giang". Photo: TL

The back of the sculpture features 70 animals living in three areas: on land, underwater and in space. These images symbolize the wealth of nature as well as remind us of the awareness of conserving resources and rare animals.

"The clock hand pointing to 11:30 symbolizes the historic moment of victory on April 30, 1975, when the revolutionary flag flew over the Independence Palace, marking the complete victory of the Ho Chi Minh campaign, unifying the country," Phong explained.

Through this work, the Tra Vinh man hopes that viewers will love their homeland, culture, and history more, as well as love peace and be aware of protecting nature.

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The work is meticulously and beautifully sculpted. Photo: TL

Mr. Phong also revealed that when “Nhat Long Giang” was first launched, dozens of people expressed interest in buying it. Among them, a person in Hai Phong City offered the highest price of 16 billion VND, but he refused to sell.

After completion, "Nhat Long Giang" was recognized by the Vietnam Record Institute as "The largest two-sided sculpture on a monolithic eucalyptus tree with themes of culture, history, and nature in Vietnam".

The work was then recognized by the Asia Records Organization (ABR) as "A two-sided sculpture on a monolithic eucalyptus tree root, with themes of culture, history, and nature, achieving a unique Asian record value".

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