A ceremony in celebration of longevity to honor King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand on his 65^th birthday was held by the Royal Thai Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday.

This was the first-ever longevity celebration to be held for King Vajiralongkorn since he succeeded to the throne of Thailand in October 2016.

The celebration in Ho Chi Minh City was attended by 150 Thai expats who work and live in the southern Vietnamese city, according to the Royal Thai Consulate-General.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn was born on July 28, 1952. The King's birthday has always been an important date in Thailand, a country where the monarchy is held in high regard by the vast majority of Thais, according to Reuters.

During the birthday celebration, officials from the consulate-general also gave alms to five Buddhist monks from the local Pho Minh Pagoda.

Ureerat Ratanaprukse, Consul General of Thailand in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that almsgiving and chanting are sacred rites of the Thai people to show respect for others.

Also on Friday, the Royal Thai Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City handed VND221.5 million (US$9,758) in aid to the city’s association for needy patients and another package of VND164.65 million ($7,253) to the municipal society for people with disability.

On Thursday night, the consulate general also organized a chanting and praying ceremony to pay homage to late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the most beloved King of Thailand who passed away last year.

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