Dong Nai: Christmas nativity scene over 7m long, with thousands of lifelike details.

At the Our Lady of Mount Cúi Pilgrimage Center (Thống Nhất commune, Đồng Nai province), a Nativity scene over 7 meters long is attracting a large number of parishioners and tourists. The model, composed of thousands of handcrafted details, recreates streets, village life, and scenes from the story of Jesus' birth in the stable of Bethlehem.

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Why it's worth exploring

The highlight of the project lies in its meticulous detail and multi-layered visual effects: each street, city wall, market area, and terracotta roof is constructed according to perspective to create depth. When the lighting system is turned on, the entire model appears like a miniature "Belem" in the pilgrimage space.

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The story behind the model

The creator is Nguyen Minh Thien (born in 1993, residing in Long Binh ward, Dong Nai province). After nearly 10 years of collecting, he has amassed thousands of statues and decorative accessories from various sources, mostly ordered from abroad. “Each small statue tells a story. Only when I have enough scenes do I dare to start creating a large-scale nativity scene,” he shared.

While the sculptures are the result of a long-term collecting effort, the scenery – from rocky mountains, streams, streets, city walls to markets – is a creative space he created himself. Starting with simple materials like foam, terracotta, woven baskets, and paint, he cuts, carves, and mixes colors to create layers of stone, ancient wall sections, baskets, water jars, or fruit stalls.

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The handcrafted details provide a high degree of realism: viewers can clearly see the folds of the fabric, the veins on the statues, or the natural colors of the vegetables in each miniature scene. The artist stated that this year the nativity scene is 2 meters longer than last year and includes many new miniature scenes, with the hope that viewers will feel the context of life, culture, and people of that era.

Thien did not attend art or architecture school but taught himself by learning from small models, patiently improving his techniques year after year. "Making nativity scenes requires patience and a genuine passion. I always want to bring something new and more beautiful to viewers each year," he said.

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A Christmas story told through pictures.

The Nativity scene is divided into several segments according to the narrative: from the angel's announcement to the Virgin Mary, the dream for Saint Joseph, the life of the villagers and their journey to find a place to live, to the moment of Jesus' birth in the stable. Below are scenes of labor and trade; further away are earthen roofs, red-hot ovens, and a traditional market with meticulously set up stalls.

According to the author, each scene transports the viewer back to a bygone era – where the Christmas story is retold through vivid images, rather than just through prayers or books.

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Fact-checking information

Location: Our Lady of Mount Cúi Pilgrimage Center (Thống Nhất commune, Đồng Nai province).
Scale: Over 7 meters long, with thousands of details; this year it's 2 meters longer and includes many new miniature scenes.
Timing: The construction was completed in early December; this year's Christmas season is expected to continue attracting a large number of visitors.
Experience: When the lighting system is turned on, the multi-layered perspective effect makes the model stand out even more.

Short experience suggestions

Follow the sequence of events from the angel's announcement to the moment of Jesus' birth to fully appreciate the story.
Stop at the market, the bakery, and the streets to observe the meticulous detail of each miniature scene.
Choose angles with multiple perspectives to capture images that highlight depth and detail.

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Christmas destination in Dong Nai

Representatives from the Our Lady of Mount Cúi Pilgrimage Center consider this one of the most impressive nativity scene models in the area in terms of scale and detail. Since its completion, it has become a special check-in spot in Đồng Nai, attracting an increasing number of people to admire and take photos.