The mysterious creator of Bitcoin continues to inspire global recognition through physical monuments celebrating the cryptocurrency revolution. In September 2025, Vietnam unveiled the world’s fifth Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Hanoi, joining an exclusive collection of tributes spanning four continents that honor the pseudonymous figure whose innovation enabled millions worldwide to get Bitcoins and participate in decentralized financial systems.
The Satoshi Gallery project, led by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi, has spearheaded this global movement to immortalize Bitcoin’s enigmatic founder through thought-provoking sculptures that capture both the technological revolution and the profound mystery surrounding Nakamoto’s identity. As Bitcoin’s price surpassed $120,000 in late 2025, these statues serve as tangible reminders of how one person’s vision transformed the way people get Bitcoins and manage their wealth outside traditional banking systems.
The Fifth Monument: Hanoi’s “Vanishing” Satoshi
Vietnam’s tribute to Satoshi Nakamoto represents the culmination of 21 months of artistic development by Valentina Picozzi. The Hanoi statue, unveiled on September 9, 2025, at the headquarters of 1Matrix in Times City, features a distinctive “disappearing effect” that symbolizes Nakamoto’s mysterious withdrawal from public life after establishing Bitcoin’s foundation.
From a side angle, viewers see Satoshi’s complete profile—hooded figure hunched over a laptop in the archetypal hacker pose. However, when viewed directly from the front, the figure becomes nearly transparent, fading into invisibility. This optical illusion perfectly captures the paradox of Bitcoin’s creator: profoundly influential yet completely anonymous, having built the infrastructure that allows people to get Bitcoins while refusing personal recognition or financial reward.
Nguyễn Vân Hiền, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Blockchain and Digital Asset Association (VBA), explained the artwork’s deeper meaning: “This is a work that embodies disappearance, a reminder that Bitcoin was left to the people. The statue represents the culture of decentralization, the spirit of technology, and the aspiration for innovation”.
The unveiling ceremony coincided with the launch of the Satoshi Vietnam Foundation, a non-profit organization inspired by the global satoshi.museum project. The foundation aims to popularize blockchain technology among Vietnamese youth, support technology startups, and promote social and environmental projects aligned with sustainable development goals—extending Nakamoto’s legacy beyond cryptocurrency into broader technological and social innovation.
The Growing Global Collection of Satoshi Monuments
Budapest, Hungary (2021): “We Are All Satoshi”
The world’s first Satoshi Nakamoto statue appeared in Budapest’s Graphisoft Park on September 16, 2021. Created by Hungarian sculptors Réka Gergely and Tamás Gilly, this bronze monument features a hooded figure with the Bitcoin logo prominently displayed on its chest. The defining characteristic: a reflective bronze-aluminum composite face that acts as a mirror, allowing viewers to see their own reflection when standing before the statue.
This artistic choice embodies the powerful message “We are all Satoshi”—suggesting that anyone can participate in Bitcoin’s decentralized vision and that Nakamoto’s identity matters less than the revolutionary technology enabling people worldwide to get Bitcoins without intermediaries.
Lugano, Switzerland (2024): The Statue That Disappeared and Returned
Lugano’s Satoshi Nakamoto statue, unveiled at Parco Ciani during the third annual Plan ₿ Forum in October 2024, shares the “vanishing” design with Hanoi’s monument. The sculpture’s unique construction causes it to completely disappear when viewed from the front, visible only from side angles—a metaphor for Nakamoto’s anonymity and Bitcoin’s transparent-yet-private nature.
However, Lugano’s statue experienced its own dramatic disappearance. In August 2025, a group of teenagers vandalized the monument, excavating it from its podium and throwing it into Lake Lugano. Satoshi Gallery offered a 0.1 BTC reward (worth approximately $12,000 at the time) for information leading to its recovery.
Swiss authorities successfully retrieved the statue from the lake, and after months of restoration work, Lugano reinstated the monument during the fourth annual Plan ₿ Forum on October 24, 2025. The unveiling featured prominent crypto figures including Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino and FundStrat co-founder Tom Lee, celebrating both Bitcoin’s resilience and the city’s commitment to cryptocurrency adoption.
El Zonte, El Salvador (2025): Bitcoin Beach’s Tribute
El Zonte, affectionately known as “Bitcoin Beach,” became home to a Satoshi Nakamoto statue in February 2025. This coastal Salvadoran town played a pivotal role in the country’s groundbreaking decision to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021, creating an environment where residents could easily get Bitcoins for everyday transactions.
El Salvador’s statue mirrors Lugano’s “vanishing” design, reinforcing the symbolic connection between these two pro-Bitcoin jurisdictions. The nation’s commitment to cryptocurrency remains evident in its holdings of 6,147.18 BTC, valued at approximately $523.5 million as of 2025—demonstrating how governments increasingly recognize Bitcoin’s importance in helping citizens get Bitcoins and participate in the global digital economy.
Tokyo, Japan (2025): Honoring the Japanese Connection
Tokyo unveiled its Satoshi Nakamoto statue in April 2025, positioned prominently in front of a well-known Bitcoin-themed mural. The timing proved auspicious, coinciding with Bitcoin reaching $95,000—a milestone that highlighted cryptocurrency’s growing mainstream acceptance and made it easier for institutional investors to get Bitcoins.
Japan’s statue holds particular symbolic significance given the Japanese origin of the “Satoshi Nakamoto” pseudonym and the country’s early embrace of cryptocurrency. Japan became one of the first nations to establish comprehensive Bitcoin regulations, creating frameworks that enabled citizens to safely get Bitcoins through licensed exchanges while protecting consumer interests.
Fornelli, Italy (2025): A Small Town’s Big Statement
In a surprising development, the tiny Italian municipality of Fornelli (population 1,800) in the Molise region unveiled its own Satoshi Nakamoto monument on May 1, 2025. Conceived and created by local crypto artist Mattia Pannoni, this statue represents “an anthem to freedom and everything that Bitcoin represents,” with funding provided entirely by Fornelli’s municipal government.
Fornelli’s decision to honor Bitcoin’s creator demonstrates how cryptocurrency’s influence extends beyond major financial centers into smaller communities seeking to participate in technological innovation and provide residents with alternatives to get Bitcoins outside traditional banking infrastructure.
The Satoshi Gallery Vision: 21 Statues for 21 Million Bitcoin
Valentina Picozzi’s Satoshi Gallery project aims to install statues in 21 different locations worldwide—a number deliberately chosen to symbolize Bitcoin’s 21 million supply cap. This ambitious goal reflects the understanding that Bitcoin’s scarcity is fundamental to its value proposition, ensuring that as demand to get Bitcoins increases globally, the limited supply will preserve purchasing power over time.
The project has already produced miniature versions of the statues for collectors and enthusiasts. Two new formats were revealed at Lugano’s October 2025 unveiling: a 22-centimeter stainless steel version and a 19-centimeter plastic version, both capturing the distinctive “vanishing” effect of the larger monuments. These collectibles allow Bitcoin supporters to own their own piece of crypto history while funding the continued expansion of Satoshi Gallery’s global tribute network.
Why Satoshi Monuments Matter for Bitcoin Adoption
These physical statues serve purposes beyond artistic expression. They legitimize cryptocurrency in public consciousness, transforming Bitcoin from abstract digital concept into culturally significant movement worthy of permanent commemoration. When cities invest resources in honoring Satoshi Nakamoto, they signal acceptance of cryptocurrency’s role in modern finance and create landmarks that attract crypto-curious tourists and investors seeking to get Bitcoins in jurisdictions demonstrating regulatory support.
Vietnam, for instance, hosts approximately 17 million digital asset holders with crypto transactions valued at roughly $105 billion annually. The Hanoi statue’s unveiling occurred alongside discussions about licensing five digital asset exchanges and supporting approximately 50 tokenized assets—infrastructure developments making it progressively easier for Vietnamese citizens to get Bitcoins through regulated, secure channels.
The monuments also preserve Bitcoin’s origin story for future generations. As Nakamoto’s estimated 1.1 million Bitcoin holdings (worth over $120 billion at current prices) would rank him among the world’s 20 wealthiest individuals—if his identity were known—these statues acknowledge the remarkable achievement of creating transformative technology while refusing personal enrichment or recognition.
The Mystery That Endures
Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity remains one of technology’s greatest unsolved mysteries. Despite numerous investigations, claimed revelations, and conspiracy theories, no definitive proof has established who created Bitcoin. The statues embrace this ambiguity—faceless figures, vanishing profiles, and mirrored surfaces all reinforcing that Bitcoin’s importance transcends any individual identity.
This anonymity paradoxically strengthens Bitcoin’s decentralization narrative. With no founder to pressure, arrest, or co-opt, Bitcoin operates according to code and community consensus rather than individual whims. The statues celebrate this achievement: creating a monetary system that allows people worldwide to get Bitcoins without requiring permission from any central authority or identifiable creator.
Bronze Tributes to a Digital Revolution
The fifth Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Hanoi marks another milestone in cryptocurrency’s cultural evolution. From Budapest’s reflective bronze to Vietnam’s vanishing figure, these monuments transform Bitcoin’s digital legacy into tangible art accessible to millions who may never directly interact with blockchain technology but increasingly recognize its influence on global finance.
As Satoshi Gallery pursues its goal of 21 statues across 21 locations, each new monument reinforces Bitcoin’s permanence in human economic history. Whether beginners seeking to get Bitcoins for the first time or experienced investors managing substantial holdings, the global cryptocurrency community shares connection to Nakamoto’s original vision: a decentralized, peer-to-peer electronic cash system resistant to censorship, inflation, and centralized control.
These statues stand not merely as tributes to an anonymous individual but as celebrations of an idea—that financial sovereignty belongs to everyone willing to participate in Bitcoin’s revolutionary experiment. As more cities join Budapest, Lugano, El Zonte, Tokyo, Hanoi, and Fornelli in honoring this vision, they create physical landmarks reminding future generations of the moment when cryptocurrency enabled anyone, anywhere to get Bitcoins and participate in building alternative financial systems.
