Vietnam To Host Vesak, an International Tribute to Buddha

The event´s venue will be the Tam Chuc Buddhist Culture Center in the northern province of Ha Nam from May 12 to 14, and it will include talks on the leadership of Buddhism for sustainable peace, family issues, health, education, morality, responsible consumption and how the Fourth Industrial Revolution will assume such philosophical current.

A festival about the event contains rituals, exhibitions and artistic-cultural programs.

Among the attendees are over 1,400 patriarchs and scholars from 105 countries and territories, reported Venerable Thich Gia Quang, Vice President of the Executive Council and head of the Communications Board of the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam (SBV).

The national delegation to the event will include leaders of the Party and the State, members of State agencies and monks.

The celebrations, which will take place under the heading 'Buddhism´s approach towards global leadership and shared responsibility for a sustainable society', will be attended by several thousand pilgrims, national and foreign tourists and journalists.

In 2019, Sidarta Gautama will celebrate 563 years, and some 300 million of his followers worldwide will mark the date on which it also reached Enlightenment.

The central celebrations are held every year in a Buddhist country and on this occasion the UN entrusted the mission to Vietnam, where that religion reaches the majority with over 12 million followers. There are some 15,000 pagodas and 40 training centers.

The preparations are in charge of SBV and the People's Committee (government) of Ha Nam province.The main Vietnamese authorities have expressed that this will be a new opportunity to show the religious freedom prevailing in the country and its political, economic and social realities.

In 2008 and 2014 Vietnam successfully organized international festivities for Vesak, the most significant celebration of Buddhism.

VNF