The most Venerable Thich Kinh Chieu, who is the head monk at Pho Phuoc Pagoda, and the Charge d’affaires of Vietnam’s Embassy in Thailand Pham Thanh Nam also joined the event.
During the festival, the Vietnamese community in Thailand extended their deep gratitude to parents and Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battlefields for freedom and national independence.
Buddhist followers also offered incense and flowers to the Buddha and their ancestors and listened to the Buddhist recitation by monks at the pagoda, followed by the ritual of fastening flowers onto the clothes of Buddhist believers.
The Vu Lan festival is organised annually on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. The main objective of the festival is for the people to express their gratefulness and appreciation to their dead parents and ancestors.
During this year’s event, the organising board also presented t-shirts printed with Vietnam’s map and books on Vietnam’s sea and islands in Vietnamese and English to the participants. Through the activity, the organising board hopes that the Vietnamese community in Thailand and Thai people would learn more about Vietnam's maritime sovereignty.
Addressing the ceremony, Professor Lae Dilokvidhyarat, President of the Thai-Viet Culture Association confirmed that the observation of such festivals helps Vietnamese expatriates remember their roots and feel more confident about their integration into Thai society.
