Tượng Cá Chép Hóa Rồng - The Dragon Carp Statue @ Da Nang in Vietnam

Singapore has a world famous statue; the merlion, a cross between a fish and a lion, that sprouted water from its mouth at the iconic location near the Singapore River, lending its name to an endearing local verb that's interchangeable with the word "vomit". 

There's a similar cross species statue in the City of Bridges; Da Nang! Known as Tượng Cá Chép Hóa Rồng, it's a cross between a fish and a dragon, somewhat sounding a lot more prestigious than our little red dot version.

Some basic facts about this dragon carp - it was completed in year 2016 and right in front it would be another recognisable icon; the dragon bridge! 

It might not look like it but this statue was made of five white marble slabs that weighed a total of 200 tons, and with the high base, stood at 7.5 meters high.

While the mythical origin of Singapore's merlion came purely from a commercial point of visit (for tourism), the dragon carp statue had a much better story as it came from an legendary idiom, 鱼跃龙门.

This idiom / legend talked about a carp that turned into a dragon after it managed to painstakingly cross the dragon gate. As an idiom, it means the perseverance one has to cross a hurdle, generally referring to a very important examination. 

In the first few days I was in Da Nang, I thought this dragon carp statue was just a statue. I didn't realize it sprouted water just like our merlion, until I happened to chance upon it vomiting during a morning jog! 

Anyway, if it is too hot for you to check out the dragon carp statue in the daytime, do visit at night when weather would be cooler and the statue would be decked out in lights that changed in six different colors; pink, red, blue, green, yellow and of course, white.

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Address

Đ. Trần Hưng Đạo, An Hải, Sơn Trà,

Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam

Map

As above. 

Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam