Indian External Affairs Minister visits pagoda in Hanoi
Monday, October 16, 2023, 16:26 GMT+7
Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subramanyam Jaishankar paid a visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon.
Tran Quoc is one of the oldest and the most sacred pagodas in Vietnam.
The pagoda visit was part of the top Indian official’s three-day trip to Vietnam scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday.
He was set to co-chair the 18th Meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Economic, Trade, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation with his Vietnamese counterpart on Monday.
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (L) and Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar pass through a gate of the historical pagoda, which lies east of Tay Lake in Tay Ho District, Hanoi. The pagoda is nearly 1,500 years old. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
Vietnam and India established diplomatic ties in January 1972, and upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2016.
Their ties are strongly thriving, while political trust has been enhanced via all-level delegation exchanges and high-level meetings.
Vietnamese Minister Son visited India in June last year.
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| The two top Vietnamese and Indian officials are pictured offering incense and praying at Tran Quoc Pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| The Venerable Thich Thanh Nha, abbot of the pagoda, introduces the Buddhist temple’s establishment and development to the two top officials. He gives two Bodhi leaves to the two ministers. The Bodhi tree is considered a sacred symbol of Buddhism. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Indian Minister Jaishankar (C) looks at a Bodhi tree at Tran Quoc Pagoda. The tree is a special gift from Indian President Rajendra Prasad during his visit to Vietnam in 1959. He and late State President Ho Chi Minh grew the tree at the pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| The Bodhi tree grafted from a centuries-old Bodhi tree in India. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Foreign Minister Son, his Indian counterpart and other officials walk around Tran Quoc Pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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| Foreign Minister Son (R) shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Jaishankar in front of a stone slab describing the Bodhi tree at Tran Quoc Pagoda. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre |
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