Vietnam Buddhist Sangha to celebrate 40th anniversary this week

The ceremony will be held virtually in Hanoi and connected to Ho Chi Minh City and other cities and provinces across the country.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha is the only Buddhist organization recognized by the Vietnamese government. It was founded at a Buddhist Convention held on November 7, 1981 at Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi that unified nine Buddhist sects as well as all activities of monks, nuns and lay followers in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha is comprised of the Patronage Council and Executive Council. The 96-member Patronage Council is the supreme governing body for the Dharma and Precepts of Buddhism. Meanwhile, the 270-member Executive Council administers the VBS’s committees, central institutes and Buddhist affairs in all 63 cities and provinces.

Currently, Vietnam has nearly 55,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, more than 18,000 places of Buddhism worship, and more than 50 million Buddhists and people who love Buddhism.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has established 10 Vietnamese Buddhist associations overseas. It has made regular contact to guide Vietnamese monks, nuns and followers in 35 countries and territories around the world.

Over the past 40 years the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has carried out various activities to popularize Buddhism in Vietnam, and at the same time made a significant contribution to national construction, defense and development.

It has guided its monks, nuns and Buddhists to strictly follow Buddha’s teachings to live a good life, abide by the State’s law, promote patriotism, preserve cultural traditions, and uphold the spirit of great national unity.