Vietnam’s stone symbolism museum opens

“Hoa Tai Ngoc Chau” will become Vietnam’s only museum displaying thousands of raw stones with unique shapes and colours created by nature.

Covering over 5 hectares, the museum is located in Bao Loc District, Lam Dong Province and welcomed its first domestic and foreign visitors on October 19.

The stone block looks like a continental shelf

It’s the first Vietnamese museum exhibiting raw stones with different iconic symbolisation. Viewers need to watch them attentively so catch what these stones are symbolic of.

At the yard, huge stone blocks are arranged carefully. Black stone ranges are placed next to each other and look like a portion of the wall in Angkor Wat. Along the Dai Nga stream, there are green stone columns, which are religious symbols of lingam of the Cham people.

In the exhibition halls, there are smaller stone blocks. Agate stone slabs look like part of an Asian map in which the image of Vietnam can be seen. A stone block named “Tinh Mau Tu” (Motherhood) has three peaks symbolic of a happy family. There is an agate stone that looks like a flying dragon.

Dinh Cong Phuong, a collector of these stones said, “I spent 40 years collecting these unique stones from rivers, streams and jungles in Bao Loc District. Many people may not understand what these stones are symbolic of but each contains interesting stories.”

In order to collect these stones with very special shapes, Phuong took much time, a lot of effort and sometimes even faced danger.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc said that the museum helps people realise the beauty of nature, enjoy stone masterpieces and reminds them about protecting the natural environment and resources of the country.

Below are some pictures of the museum:

Huge stone blocks with different shapes are placed outside

Natural works of stone capture attention of guests

Dinh Cong Phuong was representing his collection

Historian Duong Trung Quoc is interested in stone masterpieces