The bronze sculpture, a copy of the original in Japan, was created by Japanese sculptor Mizushima Iwane of Todaiji Temple. It is 88cm high and weighs 33kg.
A prayer was also organised by Japanese and Vietnamese Monks at Quan The Am Pagoda during the donation ceremony.
The visit marked the 1,300th anniversary of Buddhist exchanges between Vietnam and Japan, as well as the close relationship between the two pagodas in Da Nang and Kansai, Japan.
Many pilgrimages have been conducted by Buddhists from the Kansai region’s Todaiji Temple and the Da Nang–based pagoda since 2010.
Todaiji Temple, or Great Eastern Temple, is one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark in the city of Nara in Kansai.
The statue was brought to Japan’s Todaiji Temple by Indian Buddhist scholar and monk Bodhisena (704-760 AD).
The presentation of the bronze Buddha statue is part of a series of cultural exchanges between the two pagodas and the people of Da Nang and Japan.
The city’s People’s Committee has allocated an area of 1.2ha in Ngu Hanh Son District for the construction of the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Friendship Centre in Da Nang, where cultural performances, fashion shows and bonsai exhibitions will be held. A Japanese language training centre will also operate there.
The city has completed a Japanese and English website called “Happy Da Nang” aimed at boosting Japanese tourism in central Vietnam.
The number of Japanese tourists visiting Da Nang has rapidly increased: 66,000 Japanese visited the city in 2015, double the figure for 2014.
A direct flight route is planned to connect Da Nang and Osaka, in Kansai, from next year, with four flights per week.
In 2014, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines officially launched the first direct flight connecting Tokyo and Da Nang, with seven direct flights per week.
