A gigantic Buddha statue, which stands 73 meters tall and required four years of construction, was inaugurated in southern Vietnam last week, claiming the title of Southeast Asia's tallest.

In commemoration of the Buddha’s achievement of enlightenment on December 8 of the lunar calendar, Phat Quoc Van Thanh Temple in Binh Long Town, Binh Phuoc Province held the inauguration ceremony for a 73-meter-tall statue of the Gautama Buddha on January 20.

It is considered the tallest Buddha statue in Southeast Asia at the moment.

The gigantic Buddha statue at Phat Quoc Van Thanh Temple in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam stands 73 meters tall. Photo: The Trung / Tuoi Tre

The ceremony was attended by Buddhist dignitaries of Binh Phuoc Province and Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Van Loi, secretary of the provincial Party Committee, as well as other province leaders and the Buddhists community in the locale.

Construction commenced on January 5, 2017 and spread over a 117,736-square-meter premise.

It involves the Buddha statue being surrounded by a complex of 24 structures, each built on a plot of over 3,000 square meters in area.

Buddhist followers are seen during a ceremory at Phat Quoc Van Thanh Temple in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: The Trung / Tuoi Tre

The project came to life thanks to the profuse financial support of Buddhist patrons, namely the Minh Duc and Dieu Phuoc family.

The construction took the title of Southeast Asia’s tallest Buddha statue from the one-meter-lower structure at Khai Nguyen Temple in Hanoi.