Many representatives of Catholicism, Caodaism and Islam, as well as more than 1,000 Buddhist monks, nuns and followers attended the ceremony, jointly organised by the Standing Board of the Executive Council of the VBS and the HCM City Buddhist Sangha.

Also present were officials from the HCM City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, Fatherland Front, and a number of foreign Consulates General in the city.

Most Venerable Thich Tri Tinh, First Deputy Chairman of the VBS and Chairman of the VBS's Executive Council, delivered a speech calling all monks, nuns, and followers from all parts of the country to display the tradition of Vietnamese Buddhism and make more achievements for the benefit of both the religion and the nation.

The number of monks and nuns has constantly increased thanks to the development of training in Buddhism. The VBS now has more than 35,000 monks and nuns, and over 15,000 pagodas and monasteries. It has so far developed four Buddhism Institutes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the central city of Hue and the Mekong delta city of Can Tho.

The VBS pledged to continue upholding its achievements to effectively implement the ideal of protecting "the Religion and Nation".