Sapa tourist destination temporarily closes for 'ugly' replica of Statue of Liberty
The authorities of Sa Pa town in Lao Cai province have asked AnSaPa tourism company to temporarily close its
Authorities in Vietnam are to inspect the construction of a Statue of Liberty replica after photos of it have gone viral on social media over its peculiarity.
Officials in the tourism hub of Sa Pa, located in the northern province of Lao Cai, have put together a cohort to appraise a Statue of Libert replica built in the town.
Photos of the statute have been circulated on social networks for its outlandish look and off-kilter proportion.
The Statue of Liberty imitation in question is a 30-meter-tall work made from reinforced concrete and plaster.
It is situated in a two-hectare tourism complex called AnSaPa in Phansipan Ward of Sa Pa Town.
Discussing the issue with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Hoang Thi Vuong, head of the culture-information office of Sa Pa, said the cohort will examine whether the investment and construction of the tourism complex are lawful.
The inspection unit will also take copyright issues into consideration, as the complex replicated the Statue of Liberty and the sculpture of the United States’ founding fathers on Mount Rushmore, both are iconic structures of the North American country.
The statue is one of many structures that have been erected as photo ops for visitors to Sa Pa Town in recent years.
As the culture-information office stated, photo op structures in the area must undergo appraisal and obtain permits before construction.