Vesak 2025 opens in Ho Chi Minh City

The opening ceremony takes place at the Viet Nam Buddhist Academy in southern metropolis' Binh Chanh district.

The event draws the participation of Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, former President Truong Tan Sang, Head of the Central Commission for Communication, Education and Mass Mobilization Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Dao Ngoc Dung.

Also present at the event are senior monks and religious leaders from global Buddhist councils, associations, and organizations, alongside revered monks from the Supreme Patriarch Council and the Executive Council of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha.

This is the fourth time the UN Day of Vesak has been held in Viet Nam, and the first time it is hosted by Ho Chi Minh City - Viet Nam's biggest economic engine.

This year’s Vesak celebration is blessed with the presence of the relic of Shakyamuni Buddha – a national treasure of India and a sacred, priceless relic of humankind. We also have the rare opportunity to pay homage to the undying heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, affirming his enlightened spiritual realization, said Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Supreme Patriarch of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha’s Supreme Council.

Vesak 2025 provides an opportunity for Buddhists worldwide to honor the birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana of the Buddha Shakyamuni. It also serves as a chance to foster global friendship and promote Buddhism’s noble values in creating a world of peace and mutual understanding.

The theme of this year's Vesak reflects both the core values of Viet Nam’s culture - unity and tolerance - and the UN’s message of peace and sustainable development. It focuses on human dignity as central to progress and global harmony./.