At the ceremony to start the construction of the Vinh Nghiem – Karlovy Vary pagoda in Czech Republic (Photo: VNA) Prague (VNA) – The construction of the VinhNghiem – Karlovy Vary pagoda is underway in the Czech Republic following arecent ceremony that gathered nearly 1,000 Vietnamese Buddhist followers inEurope.
Supported by the authorities in the Karlovy Vary region, thepagoda, designed in the typical Vietnamese Buddhism architecture, is beingbuilt on a 6,000 m2 area in Karlovy Vary town.
Speaking at the ceremony held on August 24, Nguyen Chi Hieu,First Secretary and head of the board for community work at the VietnameseEmbassy in Czech Republic, lauded the efforts made by the Buddhist communityand organizations of overseas Vietnamese in the Czech Republic, as well as the assistancefrom the local authorities.
He hoped Vietnamese expatriates to promote their traditionalvalues while integrating into the host society.
Jan Bures, a member of Karlovy Vary’s council, said as theregion houses a large number of Vietnamese expats, he wished the building ofthe pagoda will boost mutual understanding between Vietnamese and Czechpeoples. The official hoped it will become a spiritual destination for not onlyVietnamese but also other communities.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, HelenaHejnova, head of the region’s council for ethnic affairs, said she is happy tosee a Vietnamese pagoda to be built here, hoping it to become a place foranyone who wants to learn about Buddhism and help Vietnamese integrate deeperinto the Czech society.-VNA