(TITC) – Under the green pine forest canopy, in the middle of the legendary Mang Den town (Kon Plong district, Kon Tum), hundreds of wooden folk statues are displayed at the Mang Den Art Garden. This is an interesting highlight and a wonderful experience for tourists who love to learn about the cultural identifies and life of the ethnic minorities here.

Mang Den Town is located in the south of Kon Plong District, on the Mang Den Plateau. To add more unique features to this land, the locality and the provincial tourism association have come up with the idea of ​​carving hundreds of wooden statues to create interesting highlights for visitors.

Mang Den Art Garden was opened on 30 August 2024, with 3 main contents: creating a traditional art space of the Central Highlands ethnic groups; creating a destination for people and tourists; preserving and promoting the good cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development in the area.

Unique wooden statues and artistic stone blocks at the Art Garden. Photo: TITC

The statue garden is divided into subdivisions: Mang Den Victory Monument, central hall, fair, food court… along with auxiliary works, internal traffic system, lighting, trees, cherry blossom garden… forming a space complex with its own unique characteristics.

The materials used to carve the statues are driftwood and stone, creating an artistic space that is both simple, rustic, and yet fascinating. The statues vividly reflect the daily life, culture and spirituality of the local ethnic groups.

Most of the wooden statues were crafted with primitive tools, so they bear the marks of simple carving by axes, machetes or chisels. The images of the rough, sturdy statues standing tall and weathering the elements seem to reflect the character and culture of the Central Highlands.

Tourists check-in the artistic rocks. Photo: TITC

Folk wooden statues play a very special role in the cultural and spiritual life of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, expressing the simple human aspirations in the daily life of the people. Therefore, the Central Highlands wooden statues do not have a certain shape but are often expressed in diverse, multi-colored and expressive shapes. The simple pieces of wood are “breathed into life” by artisans to become works of art bearing the cultural and spiritual imprint of the sacred land.

In addition to the human theme, the artist also creates works of art depicting animals, creatures that are close to human life. In addition, there are also blocks of stone stacked on top of each other, creating an interesting highlight in the middle of the foggy town…

Each statue has its own shape and color. Photo: TITC

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