Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien, vice president and secretary general of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, said this year’s event themed "Harmony and Inclusion for Human Dignity: Buddhist Insights for World Peace and Sustainable Development" aims to spread the spirit of compassion of Buddhism, thereby further contributing to building a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.

The main activities will be organised at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy, Thanh Tam Pagoda, Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda, and many locations around Ho Chi Minh City, as well as the Ba Den Mountain cultural complex in Tay Ninh province.

The 2025 UN Day of Vesak is expected to welcome 1,200 international delegates from 85 countries and territories worldwide, along with 1,500 domestic delegates. The organising committee also estimates that around 50,000 Buddhist followers will take part in different activities.

Notably, on May 2 a solemn welcoming ceremony will be held for the Buddha's sacred relic arriving from India at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, and the relic will be respectfully transported to Thanh Tam Pagoda in Binh Chanh district.

A wide range of activities will get underway, including art performances to welcome UN Vesak delegations, a ceremony to release doves and a candle-lighting ceremony for world peace, and a parade of flower-decorated floats.

Thematic workshops showcasing Buddhist compassion, mindfulness in education for a compassionate and sustainable future, and fostering collaborative efforts for the purpose of global harmony will also be held.

According to the UN’s website, Vesak, the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It was on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that the Buddha was born. It was also on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha attained enlightenment, whilst it was on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha in his eightieth year passed away.

The UN General Assembly in 1999 recognised internationally the Day of Vesak to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over two and a half millennia and continues to make to the spirituality of humanity.

This represents the fourth time that Vietnam will host the annual international event following the 2008, 2014, and 2019 editions.

Logo unveiled to mark UN Vesak Day 2025 in Vietnam

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