 200 Buddhist followers attend the requiem to pray for COVID-19 victims. (Photo: Quynh Tran/ VNExpress) |
The commemoration was held one year after the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Vietnam, taking the lives of tens of thousands of people, in which Ho Chi Minh City suffered the biggest loss.
The Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha gave 1,000 gifts worth 51,000 USD to poor families with a COVID-19 death, and 43,000 USD to the Fund for the Poor of Ho Chi Minh City’s Fatherland Front.
Most Venerable Thich Tri Chon, Deputy Head of the Culture Department of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, said: “The requiem will be held in 3 days to pray for salvation of the deaths and peace for society, the nation, and the world. The requiem shows humanity and gratitude for people in the frontline fighting the epidemic.”
After the requiem, a memorial stele in remembrance of the COVID-19 victims was placed at the Viet Nam Quoc Tu pagoda.