In the sweltering summer sun, at 10 a.m. on May 6, people flocked to Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda in District 10, lining up at the gate to wait for the Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc’s heart relic veneration, scheduled to take place at 2 p.m.
The functional units were also present to ensure security and order during the display.
On the afternoon of May 5, the sacred heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc was transferred from the State Bank of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City to Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda for public worship and veneration at 2:00 p.m. on May 6. It is the first time since 1991 that this revered relic has been open to the public.
Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death at the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung and Le Van Duyet crossroads (now Cach Mang Thang Tam – Nguyen Dinh Chieu intersection in District 3) in Saigon on June 11, 1963, to protest against the South Vietnam regime’s oppression of Buddhists. Following his immolation, Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc’s body was cremated, but his heart remained intact, presenting a symbol of the compassion and wisdom of Buddhism, as well as the Vietnamese people’s tradition.
