Historical information

The statue of Saint Tran (commonly known to Vietnamese as Tran Hung Dao), is a deified Vietnamese military strategist that repelled Mongol invasions during the 1200s)

The statue located at the Vietnamese Community Center, 90 Knight Avenue, Sunshine North, is one of two statues that was given to the Vietnamese Community of Australia (VIC and QLD chapters) by Bùi Đức Ly, a Vietnam War navy veteran and the founder of the Vietnamese Cultural Center (est. 1997, Tran Hung Dao Foundation) in Seattle, Washington, USA.

He gifted these statues to the Australian Vietnamese community when he visited Australia in 2016.

Bùi Đức Ly is the great uncle of Michael Kuskii, the donator of these photographs. Michael's connection to Saint Tran is because he was put up for "spiritual adoption" to Saint Tran at Khanh Hoi Temple (71-73 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City) in 1996, when he was two years old.

It is a Vietnamese folk belief in which parents perform a ceremony to entrust their children to temples or shrines with the hope that the child will be protected by deities and Buddhas, be easy to raise and be healthy.

Michael Kuskii is an member of The Vietnamese Australian Organisation (VÀO, translated means to welcome one in) preserves and pass on Vietnamese cultural heritage to the next generation of Vietnamese and the broader Australian community through education workshops, media, arts and culture.

Significance

Trần Hưng Đạo (1228–1300) was the Trần dynasty’s greatest general, defeating the Mongol invasions of Đại Việt. After his death, he was deified and worshipped as Đức Thánh Trần, becoming one of Vietnam’s most important spiritual protectors.

Trần Hưng Đạo is important to Vietnamese communities in Australia because he symbolizes national pride, resistance against oppression, moral leadership, and cultural continuity. He provides a shared identity anchor for communities rebuilding their lives after war, displacement, and migration.

Physical description

Digital colour photographs

Inscriptions & markings

Saint Tran Statue (Commonly known to Vietnamese as Tran Hung Dao)