Lam Dong (VNA) – The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee's Board for Cultural Affairs has announced that Vesak Celebrations 2026 will take place in Da Lat of Lam Dong province, featuring 15 experiential activities combining Buddhist rituals with cultural, artistic and community programmes.
The event, scheduled to take place from May 23 - 25, is expected to attract tens of thousands of monks, nuns, Buddhists, tourists and local residents, while a series of extended activities will continue until June 1.
According to organisers, this year’s Vesak Celebrations are designed as an “experiential journey”, blending solemn spiritual ceremonies with public-oriented cultural, artistic and social welfare activities.
Highlights include an exhibition titled “The Path to Enlightenment” displayed in Da Lat’s pine forests, featuring 30 artworks depicting the life journey of the Buddha from birth to enlightenment. Vegetarian cuisine and Buddhist cultural spaces will also be introduced at Lam Vien Square, alongside calligraphy and painting activities themed around Vesak.
One of the special programmes will be “Lighting Seven Lotus Flowers” at the Lam Vien Square on the evening of May 23, recreating the symbolic seven lotus steps taken by the newborn Buddha.
The main Vesak Celebration on May 24 will feature a morning meditation session in the pine forest, a procession carrying the Buddha statue from Linh Quang Pagoda to Xuan Huong Lake area, and the traditional bathing ritual for the Buddha statue.
The programme will also include scholarship presentations for disadvantaged students and the handover of charity houses to needy local families.
An art performance night on Xuan Huong Lake on May 24 is expected to become a cultural highlight of this year’s Vesak season, featuring Buddhist music and dance performances on a floating stage.
In addition to spiritual activities, the organisers will launch charitable programmes such as a “Zero-dong market” providing 1,000 gift packages for disadvantaged residents, visits to policy beneficiary families and war invalids, and environmental protection initiatives including a tree planting campaign.
The celebrations will conclude with two flower-car processions on May 30 and 31, with 50 decorated vehicles travelling through central Da Lat streets, creating a colourful festive atmosphere in the “City of Flowers”.
Vesak commemorates the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni and has been recognised by the United Nations as an international cultural and religious festival for peace./.
