Vietnam's first sand statue park sculpts timeless tales

Appropriately called the “Forgotten Land,” the works displayed in the park tell stories that have been shared by generation after generation. Here, Canadian artist David Jean Ducharme, sculpts a “Puss in Boots” relief.

The “King Kong” sand statue at the park’s gate. Research has found that the sand quality in Mui Ne of Binh Thuan Province in south central Vietnam is good material for sculptures.

Marielle Heessels, a sand sculptor from the Netherlands, works on "Persephone." Artists from 15 countries including the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Brazil, the United States and Japan were invited to create their works here. 

Each artwork in the park is based on Vietnamese fairy tales like the legend of Dragon King and Fairy Princess, the legend of The Mountain King and the Ocean Lord, and international fairy tales like The Fox and the Crow, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, and so on.

The artists just use natural sand and water, without any additives.

The park stands on Nguyen Thong Street, right in the heart of Phan Thiet City, which makes it easy to get to. This sand sculpture depicts Vietnam’s fairy tale about a toad petitioning to the Jade Emperor over long period of drought.

This sculpture of an old woman making her way to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a well-known Buddhist monument in central Vietnam's Hue, fully captures the architectural beauty of the original.

Some of the abstract works in the park prompt philosophical ruminations in the viewers. “It feels like actually travelling to different places and exploring different cultures," said Thanh Thu, a traveler from Ho Chi Minh City.

The park has a space for children to try their hand at sand sculpture.