.png)
VUNG TAU: Christ The King, the Statue of Jesus
Christ the King, of Vung Tau is a statue of Jesus, standing on Mount Nho (Small Moutain) in Vung Tau, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Dong Nam Bo, Vietnam. The Vietnam Catholic Association built the statue in 1974 and it was completed in 1993. It is 32 metres (105 ft) high, standing on a 4 metres (13 ft) high platform, for a 36 metres (118 ft) total monument height with two outstretched arms spanning 18.3 metres (60 ft). There is a 133-step staircase inside the statue.
The giant statue of Christ the King in Vung Tau is easy to find: from the ferry terminal take a right on Vung Tau’s main road, Ha Long. When the road reaches the tip of the peninsula, and changes its name to Thuy Van, you will find the Christ of Vung Tau and its large entrance area. The statue is located on the top of a large hill and the hike to its base will take at least 30 minutes.
Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to sweat, as this is a difficult hike even for avid hikers. The stairs on the way up can be quite awkward as well; some are too tall while others are too short. Luckily, there are several places to stop along the way to rehydrate yourself, catch your breath or admire the view.
When you finally reach the feet of the statue and are ready to go inside, you may be in for a surprise. The statue (Christ the King in Vung Tau) is treated like a church and because of this there is a dress code: your shoes must be removed and no tank tops are allowed.
Yes, after your long, sweaty climb you can be turned away because your shoulders aren’t covered. If you haven’t come prepared, you can purchase a 20,000 VND (about 1$) T-shirt from the gift store that is on top of the hill to get in.
Once inside you’ll have more work to do: climbing the 100-plus stairs leading to the top. These narrow at the top, especially in the final exit onto the statue’s shoulders, and get quite narrow and short for a larger Westerner. Also, as the statue gets more and more crowded, traffic to the lookout areas begins to bottleneck and you may have to wait for a few minutes before you see the view.
To avoid this, show up early in the day, preferably before 9:00 so you can beat the crowd and not have to rush yourself, plus it won’t be as hot.
0 comments: