And the gift from Vietnamese PM to Obama is...

By Lan Ha   May 24, 2016 | 06:12 am PT
On behalf of the Vietnamese people, Prime Minister Phuc presented U.S. President Barack Obama with a special sculpture known as 'Thong diep ngan nam' (millennium’s message), which is considered a symbol of Vietnamese culture.

The sculpture of the dragon’s head is made of enamel-covered ceramics and stands on a wooden plinth. It weighs about six kilograms and took nearly three months to make.

and-the-gift-from-vietnamese-pm-to-obama-is

The Prime Minister prsented the President Obama with a dragon's head sculpture on May 23.

The gift was given to the president during a meeting between Obama and Phuc on May 23.

“We failed twice before we got the color right,” one of the artists said.

“The sculpture carries with it the history of Vietnam. The dragon is a symbol of eternal life and the power of the universe. Throughout the country’s history, the dragon has always been a symbol of the Vietnamese dynasties, including Ngo, Ly, Tran, Le So, Mac, Hau Le and Nguyen,” he said. 

The sculpture is a replica of a Ly Dynasty dragon, which is considered a symbol of power and has unique characteristics.

 
 
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