Webinar reviews Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s 40-year development

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – A webinar reviewing the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s development and integration over the last 40 years was jointly held by the Standing Board of the VBS’s Executive Council, the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City, and the Vietnam Buddhist Research Institute on November 4.

Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, First Deputy Patriarch  of the Patronage Council of the VBS, and Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, Chairman the VBS's Executive Council, co-chaired the event.

In his opening speech, Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon highlighted the significance of the event, saying that it is a Buddhist activity towards integrating the values of knowledge, history, religion, culture, sociology and psychology in order to clarify the role and comprehensive contributions of Vietnamese Buddhism to socio-cultural development as well as the cause of national construction and defence.

Vu Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, affirmed that Buddhism is the religion with the largest number of dignitaries and followers in Vietnam.

With more than 250 reports, the webinar spotlighted the development, role and great contributions of the VBS to the nation's socio-cultural development and the cause of defending the country’s independence, freedom and territorial sovereignty.

Participants also emphasised the people-to-people diplomacy role played by the VBS, as well as its efforts to contribute to realising the country's sustainable development goals and the UN's millennium goals in the era of globalisation and international integration./.

VNA