This strange statue has been standing outside of the May Cafe Vietnamese restaurant for years – but do you know its backstory? Firstly, you may think that this mascot is a bit strange to appear outside of a Vietnamese eatery, and you’d be right. This is because it has no cultural relevance to Vietnam or food.

Instead, it turns out that this is from a former lumber store that occupied the retail space before the Vietnamese. In other words, this man is meant to look like a lumberjack, which is why he’s holding a saw in his hands. Now it all makes sense!

At one point, the statue’s arms even fell off but have since been replaced. It is not known who paid for the replacement, but at the same time, it’s good to see that this mascot is still cared for and looked after. This is even more hilarious considering that it’s not even used for advertising purposes anymore but is still liked.

Responding on social media, Albequerque locals jokingly claimed that this was meant to represent Juan Tabo who was a legendary sheepherder in the area. Some ironically claimed that he was also meant to look Vietnamese due to the restaurant. Obviously, this was not the case.

So, now you know the reason behind one of Alberquerque’s most iconic statues. This statue has stood for decades and with any luck, will continue to stand in his rightful place until the foreseeable future.