This year's Vesak celebrations are being held from May 24 to 31 (the 8th to the 15th day of the fourth lunar month). The event is held to honor the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni while promoting the values of compassion, wisdom, harmony, and service to society.
A lantern-floating ceremony at Phap Hoa Pagoda, located in Nhieu Loc Ward, is among the highlights of the Vesak celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vesak Day, marking the 2,570th anniversary of the Lord Buddha’s birthday, was held at three main ceremonial platforms of the Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha with a wide range of spiritual programs and rituals, including the headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh City Chapter of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha—Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda at Nos. 242–244 on Ba Thang Hai (February 3) Street, Hoa Hung Ward; the Bai Truoc (Front Beach) area in Vung Tau Ward; and the Office of the Executive Committee—Hoi Khanh Monastery, located at No. 29 on Hoi Khanh Pagoda Street, Phu Cuong 1 Quarter, Thu Dau Mot Ward.
According to the Organizing Committee of the Lord Buddha’s 2570th birthday anniversary in Ho Chi Minh City, the main celebration will commence at 5:30 a.m. on May 31, coinciding with the Full Moon Day of the fourth lunar month.
The ceremony will be attended by the Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Most Venerable Vice Supreme Patriarchs, members of the Patronage Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the President of the Executive Council, representatives of the Executive Council, the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as leaders of central and municipal agencies, representatives of other religious organizations, diplomatic missions based in the city, and a large number of monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers.
