Bangkok (VNA) – Nine religious dignities, including Most Venerable Thich Tinh Lien, head of the An Nam Tong (Annamkiya) Buddhist sect and abbots of Vietnamese Buddhist pagodas in Thailand have received a royal decree from Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua.
The pagodas are Pho Phuoc, Khanh Van, Thuy Ngan, Khanh Tho, Phuoc Dien, Ngoc Thanh, Hoi Khanh, Hung Thanh and Hung Phuoc pagodas.
Theetat Phimpha, Director of the Department of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Culture of Thailand, read the royal decree at a ceremony which was held at Khanh Van Pagoda in Bangkok capital on July 28.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung and monks, nuns and Buddhist followers attended the ceremony and congratulated Most Venerable Thich Tinh Lien and the An Nam Tong Buddhist sect's monks.
This is a significant event for the An Nam Tong Buddhist sect, continuing to affirm the recognition and respect of the Royal Family and Government of Thailand for the Vietnamese Buddhist sect.
The An Nam Tong (Annamkiya) Buddhist sect (also called Vietnamese Buddhist sect) has been established in Thailand since the late 18th century. In 1889, the Annamkiya Buddhist sect was officially recognised by King Rama V (Chulalongkorn, reigned 1868-1910) as one of the two foreign Buddhist sects in Thailand. Over the past 200 years, Thai Kings gave names to and appointed monks of Vietnamese-built pagodas belonging to the Annamkiya sect./.
