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CHUMPHON: The sleepy southern province on Thursday gave a sneak preview of its annual exhibition of sand sculptures featuring popular tourist and religious attractions in the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The exhibition, featuring 10 important places which represent the identities of each Asean nation, is part of the Chumphon Sea World Fair, an annual event held every March to promote tourist attractions in the gateway to Southern Thailand, Chumphon governor Peerasak Hinmuangkao said. This year, the event will be held on Paknam Chumphon Beach in tambon Pak Nam of Muang district between March 22 and 26.

He said the exhibition aims to add colour to the fair and welcome the implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.

The locations made into the sand sculptures, which were 60 percent complete as of Thursday, include:

1. Malaysia’s 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers

2. the Baroque Churches of the Philippines

3. Indonesia's World Heritage Site of Borobudur

4. Angkor Thom Temple, Cambodia

5. Myanmar’s Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock)

6. Sultan of Brunei's Palace (Istana Nurul Iman Palace)

7. Thien Mu Pagoda, also known as Linh-Mu Pagoda, in Hue, Vietnam.

8. Chedi of Phra That Luang Temple, Laos

9. Singapore's symbol, the Merlion

10. Thailand’s sand sculpture portraying the monkey king Hanuman keeping Rama’s pavilion in his mouth, a scene based on the episode of Maiyarab War from the epic Ramakien.