History & Meaning of Dragon Carp Statue in Da Nang

The Dragon Carp Statue of Da Nang is 7,5 meters tall, standing on a 4,3-meters-tall. It’s created by 5 pieces of white marble sourcing from Quy Hop’s stone mountains, nearly 600 km away from Da Nang, and weighs up to 200 tons. It’s carved by a team of 28 sculptors in Non Nuoc Stone Carving Village near the Marble Mountains, of which fine art stone carving tradition has been from the 17th century. On 13th April 2015, after 3 months of production, it moved from the village to its current location.

This statue is part of the DHC Marina, a lively waterside hangout with casual dining, shops, and café that sit on the right bank of the Han River. Construction of the complex started from 25th April 2014, and previously, the winning design from 27 ones by local and international designers, was announced on 5th April 2014.

During the day, the Dragon Carp will shoot the water from its mouth, and at night, it’s lit by color-changing lamps. This is a must see for all first timers.

In Vietnamese culture, the dragon is one of four holy animals (others are turtle, unicorn, phoenix). It symbolizes potent and auspicious power, power over weather and water, good fortune, pioneering spirit, and imperial authority. It’s used in decoration of temples, pagodas, and royal palaces. On the other hand, the carp symbolizes fortune and prosperity. Together the two animals will bring many good things to Da Nang city after the statue is erected.

The Dragon Carp Statue of Da Nang portrays an image of ‘the carp fish transforming into dragon’. Meaning of this depiction is the spectacular transformation of the riverscape and the city in recent decades. After the Vietnam war ended, Da Nang was just an undeveloped city, with poor facilities and rundown fishing villages along the river. Now, everything has changed dramatically. The city rises up to be the most liveable city in the country.  

According to traditional mythology, there is a ‘dragon gate’ on the top of a tall waterfall descending from the legendary mountain. Many fishes will try to swim upstream against the river’s strong current and jump up, to leap over the waterfall and reach this gate. Over there, ‘succesful’ fishes will transform into dragons which can fly in the sky, and are powerful. During the feudal times, Vietnamese people used the story to encourage students and children, to study hard, gain the highest scores in imperial examinations, and then uplift their social status or change their life forever. The idiom ‘carp jumps over the dragon gate’ is still in use today.

Near the statue’s base, there are ‘fish poison’ trees (Barringtonia asiatica or cay bang vuong). This tree lives in the Paracel Islands (‘yellow sand’ archipelago or Quan dao Hoang Sa), a group of uninhabited islets and reefs in the East Sea, under the administration of Da Nang. The city leaders planted it here to confirm Vietnamese sovereignty over it. If interested, visitors can go to Hoang Sa Museum for further information and details.

The Statue of Dragon Carp in Da Nang may be inspired by the Merlion at Singapore, which depicts a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It’s famous all over Southeast Asia, and a must see in Singapore. In Vietnam, some cities are planning to build a statue with the same idea.