Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh extends Buddha’s birthday greetings

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh visited several Buddhist temples in Ho Chi Minh City and extended his greetings to Buddhist dignitaries on the occasion of the Buddha’s birthday.

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh extends his greetings to Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang. (Photo: VGP)
Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh extends his greetings to Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang. (Photo: VGP)

At the Viet Nam Quoc Tu Temple in District 10, the Deputy PM inquired after Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang and wished all Buddhist monks, nuns and laypeople good health and happiness.

He underlined the active contributions of Vietnamese Buddhism to the country’s development throughout history.

Visiting Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon at the Minh Dao Temple, Deputy PM Binh congratulated the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam on successfully hosting the UN Day of Vesak.

He affirmed that Vesak was not only a celebratory occasion for Buddhists but also an important national event, demonstrating Vietnamese Buddhism’s great role in the country’s international integration and national solidarity.

The government official expressed his wish that Most Venerables Thich Tri Quang and Thich Thien Nhon along with other Buddhist leaders will continue making contributions to national construction.

For their part, the two Buddhist dignitaries thanked the government for its support for the Buddhist congregation’s activities, while affirming that they would continue to make further contributions to national development.

* At the Tu Dam Temple in the central city of Hue, a solemn ceremony was held on May 19 to celebrate the birth of the Buddha.

After hearing a reading of the Supreme Patriarch’s message, Buddhist monks, nuns and laypeople recited the title of the Buddha in unison and chanted a song to pray for peace and happiness.

Buddha's birthday celebrations at Tu Dam Temple in Hue

On the same night, Buddhists from across Thua Thien-Hue province joined a procession of 32 flower floats through the main streets on the south side of the Perfume River.

Earlier on May 18, a Buddha bathing ceremony was held at the Dieu De Temple, from which a Buddha statue was displayed in a procession to Tu Dam Temple attended by thousands of people.