The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha held a grand ceremony at Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi on Friday morning to celebrate Lord Buddha’s 2557th birthday. Along with Buddhist dignities and followers, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, many other high-ranking officials, and representatives of diplomatic corps and international organizations in Vietnam attended the ceremony. At the event, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu, Permanent Vice President of the VBS Executive Council, delivered a message of the VBS Patriarch to Vietnamese monks, nuns and followers at home and abroad, advising them to accomplish both their religious and civil duties.

Speaking at the event, Deputy PM Phuc said Buddhism, which has accompanied the Vietnamese nation for more than 2,000 years, has made significant contributions to the country’s construction and defense. On behalf of the Party and Government, Phuc sent warm congratulations to all Buddhist dignities and followers nationwide on the Buddha’s birthday. He asked authorities of all levels to pay more attention to enhancing the spiritual and religious life of religious groups across the country, including Buddhist followers, and creating good conditions for them to contribute to the country’s development. 

The same day thousands of Buddhists in Ho Chi Minh City gathered in the Pho Quang Pagoda in Tan Binh District to attend a grand ceremony organized by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's HCMC chapter to mark the Buddha’s birthday.

Among the attendants were many officials from the city authorities, including Hua Ngoc Thuan, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, who said he highly appreciated great contributions by Buddhist dignities and followers to the city’s socio-economic development. The ceremony ended with a lot of pigeons and balloons released into the sky, symbolizing the nation’s aspiration for peace.