Buddhist followers attend a Vesak Day celebration in Ho Chi Minh City on May 26, 2023. Photo by Read/Thanh Tung
The United Nations Day of Vesak 2025 in Vietnam is expected to attract around 2,000 participants, including 1,000 international delegates from 80 countries.
The announcement was made during a press conference on Friday, following the conclusion of the first meeting of the international organizing committee for the event. With its theme highlighting Buddhist wisdom for world peace and sustainable development, the celebration will be co-organized by the committee and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), with support from the Vietnamese government. It is scheduled to take place at the Vietnam Buddhist University in Ho Chi Minh City from May 6 to 8 next year.
Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice President and General Secretary of the VBS’s Executive Council, said the event is not only a significant Buddhist event but also an important diplomatic occasion that highlights the role of Vietnamese Buddhism in international integration and affirms Vietnam’s position and responsibility within the U.N.
The dignitary, who is also vice president and general secretary of the international organizing committee for Vesak 2025, said the celebration in HCMC will serve as a cultural and people-to-people exchange event, offering an opportunity to showcase the image, people, and culture of Vietnam to the global community.
Vesak is a sacred Buddhist event commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana of Gautama Buddha, observed on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month. On Dec. 15, 1999, the UN General Assembly officially recognized Vesak as an international religious and cultural event.
To date, it has been celebrated 24 times, with 15 hosted in Thailand, once in Sri Lanka, and three in Vietnam. Previous Vesak celebrations in Vietnam were held in Hanoi in 2008, Ninh Binh in 2014, and Ha Nam in 2019.
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