The Da Nang People’s Committee Vice Chairman, Mr Nguyen Xuan Anh, and the city’s Arts Council recently conducted a 2^nd assessment of two designs by sculptors Ta Quang Bao and Pham Hong for a patriotic monument which will be erected on the Hai Van Pass.  At the event, the sculptors also received opinions from local researchers and their colleagues to help them perfect their ideas.

Thanks to the Arts Council’s useful advice during the 1^st assessment, Pham Hong’s work has seen a significant change in its structure and aesthetic values.  In particular, the 18m-high, white granite-faced sculpture, which will be constructed using steel-reinforced concrete, will now feature the symbol of a flame instead of the twin sails in his previous design.  There will be the gold-plated wording “Chien Tich Hai Van 1858 - 1975” (Monument at Hai Van Pass) inscribed on the front of the sculpture. 

Its main section, depicting 3 standing figures resembling a tripod, will be up to 7m in height and made of either a mixture of iron and steel or granite.

Ta Quang Bao’s work

The work’s 2 curved pedestals will highlight the majesty of the statue, as well as the majestic natural landscape of the Hai Van Pass.

As for Ta Quang Bao’s work, his limestone sculpture takes its inspiration from the anti-US and French resistance wars.  His work will depict the image of 3 soldiers standing in victory poses.  The other parts of the work reflect the undauntable fighting spirit of the Vietnamese soldiers in mountainous passes, combat trenches and battlefields.

There will also be a relief on the back of the sculpture which will depict the history of the wars and the victory of the Vietnamese people.

After listening to the presentations by the 2 sculptors and the opinions of others, the city’s Arts Council will present its recommendations to the local authorities for consideration as soon as possible.

A contest to draft models of the Hai Van monument was launched by the municipal People’s Committee in September 2012, and the final selection will be made between these two sculptors.