 Most Venerable Thich Hue Thong, Vice President of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and Vice President of the Organizing Committee of the 2025 Vesak Celebrations speaking at the Invitation Ceremony. Photo: VOV |
The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture of India, the New Delhi-based International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.
The Buddha's Sarira landed in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday on a special flight organized by the Indian Government, together with a delegation of Indian officials and delegates to attend Vesak celebrations.
Special chanting rituals were held at the airport after the arrival of the relic, followed by a chanting ceremony led by His Holiness the Dharma Master, and the enshrinement ceremony at Thanh Tam Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City.
During its 20-day stay in Vietnam, the Buddha's relic will tour four cities and provinces – Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, Hanoi and Ha Nam – enabling Vietnamese people and international delegates attending the UN Day of Vesak to pay their respects.
The Buddha's relic was invited from the holy land of Sarnath, where the Buddha first preached. This is the first time the Buddha's relic has been taken to Vietnam.
On Thursday, a solemn ceremony to receive Buddha’s Sarira was held at the National Museum of India in New Delhi, before it was transferred to Vietnam, marking the beginning of a series of international activities within the framework of the United Nations Day of Vesak held in Vietnam.
According to a representative of the International Buddhist Confederation, the Buddha's Sarira is considered to be his incarnation whenever it is invited to a Buddhist country.
Dr. Abhijit Halder, General Director of the International Buddhist Federation, said, “The Buddha’s relic is very symbolic because it’s actually a living Buddha. So the government of India takes a lot of care, takes a lot of precautions, and plans in many ways before taking this holy relic to any country. And I think for the people of Vietnam this is the great occasion to have the holy relic or the Buddha himself visit that beautiful country at a time when the UN Vesak Day is being celebrated there.”