In the northern province of Bac Giang, a model of a dragon that is 4.5 m tall was completed by Bui Van Quan, 32, in over 70 days. He used steel frames and mixtures of sand and cement to make the model.

Quan expects to exhibit the model on Jan. 28 so people can see it for free. He calls the statue "the happy dragon."

While certain people on social media said the model has characteristics of European dragons, Quan said he only modeled the body after the European dragon, while other details were modeled after the traditional eastern dragon.

Four dragon statues were sculpted earlier this year within a private tourism site in Quang Xuong District, Thanh Hoa in central Vietnam for Tet. Each dragon spans around 20 m in length and 6 m in height.

Certain people said these statues do not look like traditional dragons as they look thin, similar to a fish.

Next to the statues, other mascots from the past are also placed.

As the owner of the mascot named "cat pageant" for the previous Year of the Cat, 33-year-old Dinh Van Tan in the central province of Quang Tri was chosen by the authorities to create a dragon mascot for this year.

The mascot spans 4.5 m in height and 7 m in length. It has golden-colored scales and perches on top of the model of a mountain. The materials used were styrofoam and gypsum. The statue weighs 500 kg.

"The materials I used are suitable for transportation," Tan said.

The mascot will be taken to the central park of Lao Bao Town for exhibition.

Nang, a dragon mascot is installed at a park to the west of the Dragon Bridge over the Han River. The dragon is made of wood and is able to "breathe fire" using smoke and lighting effects.

The park is also installing dragon mascots with the theme of "Dragon on Spring Trip". Another mascot with the theme of "Mark of the Sacred Dragon" is also installed in front of a building being renovated into Da Nang Museum.

In Binh Duong that neighbors Ho Chi Minh City, dragon mascots were made of products from a pottery village on Ho Van Cong Street, Thu Dau Mot City.

Anh Thuan, who made the statues, said each dragon is made of 38 large pots and 20,000 smaller pots.

A model of "Twin Dragons Watching the Moon" is displayed at a park on Quang Trung Street, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, another HCMC's neighbor. It is over 12 m tall, and each dragon spans over 70 m in length.

The Vung Tau People's Committee said the statue resembles images of the dragon during the Ly dynasty (1009 - 1225).

"The structure sends a message of bringing natural energy and luck to the city," a representative of Vung Tau said.

Several other locations in Vung Tau are also decorated with dragons. At Trung Trac-Trung Nhi Park, a dragon sculpture is made of steel frames covered with fabric.

In Dak Nong in the central highlands, two dragon mascots were completed by officers at the provincial military command over two months. The sculptures are made of cement. Dragons holding bronze jewels in their mouths are considered a symbol of power.

Multiple dragon mascots are being built at Nguyen Tat Thanh Square in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh in central Vietnam. The mascots can be as high as 7.5 m. The exhibition area is decorated with around 45,000 potted plants.

Binh Dinh People's Committee said the mascots were designed with the theme of "Pride for the Dragon Father-Fairy Mother" in mind, referring to the tale of people's ancestry coming from dragons at sea and fairies in the mountains.

This year, Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam decorates four dragons to celebrate Tet, with three dragons at Ba To Park.

Quang Ngai urban environment company, responsible for the sculptures' construction, said the dragons were designed by a HCMC company. By Feb. 5, the mascots will be completed, and a spring festival will be organized at the park.

A model of two dragons fighting for a jewel is placed at the October 18 Park in Khanh Hoa Province's Cam Ranh City in the central coast. Each dragon spans 12 m in length and 2 m in height.

This year, four dragons will be placed at two central parks of the city.

The Dong Nai Tourism Association in the southern province had a dragon mascot made of styrofoam displayed at an exhibition site of Buu Long Tourism Area.

At Hung Vuong Square in Bac Lieu Administrative Center in the Mekong Delta province, models of 16 dragons coiling around beams are being completed in time for Tet.

The dragon is a symbol of absolute power for certain feudal states in the past.