Ho Chi Minh City: Hundreds of people waving Buddhist flags knelt with reverence along the streets of Ho Chi Minh City as Vietnam on Friday welcomed Shakyamuni Buddha’s sacred relics – a national treasure of India, marking the first time the venerated artifacts have been brought to and enshrined in the country.
The precious artifacts were brought on an Indian Air Force C-130J-30 jet, from New Delhi to Tan Son Nhat Airport at around 7.40 a.m., traversing 5,100 km. India’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju accompanied the relics.
The Indian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City posted on X: “The sacred Buddha’s relics from India have arrived #ViệtNam , were brought to the Vietnam Buddhist Academy for a solemn ceremony, then carried through a solemn parade to Thanh Tam Pagoda, where the revered relics will be displayed for the public.”
The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), said in a post on X: “The Holy Buddha Relic from India arrived in #Vietnam, was taken to the Buddha Hall at the Vietnam Buddhist University for a sacred ceremony and then brought through a grand procession to Thanh Tam #Pagoda, where the Public Exposition of the Sacred Relic will take place.”
The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) hosted a reception ceremony at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on the day, attended by several senior Buddhist leaders, and Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung, and Permanent Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Duong Ngoc Hai.
Outside the airport, hundreds of people gathered holding Buddhist flags and flowers as they waited on Truong Son Street of Tan Binh District. Many prayed as the vehicle that was carrying the sacred relic passed by.
Many Buddhists knelt along the sides of the streets of Ho Chi Minh City as the vehicle carrying the Buddha’s sacred relic drove past.
The vehicle transporting the Buddha relic or ‘sarira’ was decorated with dragons and flowers. The relic was placed inside a glass box on top of a small decorated tower.
Following the airport reception, the relics were transported to the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in HCM City, the main venue for the upcoming 20th UN Day of Vesak Celebrations.
From May 3-8, they will be enshrined at Thanh Tam pagoda in Binh Chanh district for public veneration.
The relics are scheduled to travel to several significant Buddhist sites across Vietnam, including Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area in Tay Ninh province, Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi – the headquarters of the VBS, and Tam Chuc pagoda in Ha Nam province.
The UN Vesak 2025, themed ‘Unity and Inclusivity for Human Dignity: Buddhist Insights for World Peace and Sustainable Development’, will take place from May 6 to 8.
Some 1,200 delegates from 85 countries and territories, including dozens of heads of states, are expected to attend the event.
Vietnam hosted the UN Vesak celebrations in Hanoi in 2008, Ninh Binh province in 2014, and Ha Nam province in 2019.
