On August 11, in Hanoi, the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Friendship Association held an information-sharing session entitled “Buddhism in Sri Lanka - Traditions, Characteristics and Relations with Vietnamese Buddhism.”

Buddhist exchanges are creating more direct connections between the peoples of Vietnam and Sri Lanka

According to Associate Professor and PhD Pham Van Linh, former Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council and President of the Association, Buddhist exchanges are an important channel for strengthening understanding and closer ties between the peoples of the two countries. The session introduced distinctive values of Sri Lankan Buddhism while providing a forum for dialogue and networking between the Association and relevant agencies, organizations, experts and individuals interested in Vietnam-Sri Lanka relations.

At the event, Venerable Thich Phap Quang introduced Sri Lankan Buddhism and the activities of Truc Lam Vietnam Zen Monastery in Kandy, the first Vietnamese temple built in Sri Lanka. Established in 2020, the monastery currently serves as a place of Buddhist practice and community gathering for around 200 Vietnamese people in Sri Lanka, more than half of whom are Buddhist monks and nuns studying at Buddhist institutions in the country.

In addition to featuring Vietnamese architectural and culinary traditions, the monastery provides free Vietnamese-language classes for local children with support from former Vietnamese Ambassadors to Sri Lanka. According to Venerable Thich Phap Quang, the classes at one point attracted more than 100 students, many of whom became able to communicate in Vietnamese and sing more than 20 Vietnamese songs.

Venerable Thich Phap Quang recalled that during the visit to Sri Lanka by the high-level Vietnamese delegation led by General Secretary and President To Lam in May 2026, two Sri Lankan children who had studied Vietnamese at Truc Lam Vietnam Zen Monastery wore traditional costumes from Vietnam’s mountainous regions and performed the Vietnamese song Di hoc (Going to School) in Vietnamese for the delegation.

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Buddhist monks, nuns, followers pay tribute to Party chief Buddhist monks, nuns, and followers and residents can pay tribute to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who breathed his last on July 19, at pagodas and monasteries on July 25 and 26, the same time when respect-paying and memorial ceremonies are held for the leader.