The Vietnamese Buddhist Culture Centre in the Republic of Korea (RoK) recently held a grand ceremony to mark the Vu Lan Festival (Parents' Day) in Incheon city, VNA reported.

The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to RoK Nguyen Vu Tung; Vice Chairwoman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Thi Minh Nga; Mayor of Incheon city Yoo Jeong Bok, Korean officials and Buddhist followers in the RoK.

The ceremony is held to mark the Vu Lan Festival in Incheon City on September 3. Photo: Vietnamese Buddhist Culture Centre in the RoK

The event was attended by Korean local government officials, Korean Buddhist sects, businesses, Vietnamese Buddhists, Korean Buddhists, and a large number of Vietnamese expatriates in RoK.

After the ceremony of saluting the Vietnamese and Korean national flags and Buddhist songs, the organizing committee of the Vietnamese Buddhist Cultural Center in Korea chanted the Vu Lan sutra to express gratitude and pray for the Vietnamese heroes and martyrs, legendary deities, and ancestors.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Vu Tung said that the 7th full moon festival called “Vu Lan bao hieu” (Parents' Day) or “Xa toi vong nhan” (Wandering Soul’s Day), is even more meaningful when it is held on the occasion of Vietnam's National Day September 2, especially in the context of the Vietnam-RoK strategic partnership relationship getting better and better.

The ambassador thanked the RoK's officials as well as Korean religious dignitaries and clergymen for their attention and support to Vietnamese people in the fields of economy, culture, and religion.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese community in the RoK has contributed and integrated into the RoK society and considers the East Asian country their second homeland to participate in economic, political, and religious activities.

Photo: Vietnamese Buddhist Culture Centre in the RoK

Mayor of Incheon Yoo Jeong Bok was touched by the Vietnamese custom of drinking water to remember its source during the Vu Lan Festival and said that the Korean-Vietnamese relationship at the national and local levels has been around for more than 30 years.

He said that as an international city of the RoK, Incheon is home to more than 70,000 foreigners, including about 15,000 Vietnamese people, adding that the foreigners are part of the city and have accompanied and developed with local residents.

Witnessing the religious activities of the Vietnamese community in RoK, Vice Chairwoman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Thi Minh Nga, expressed her thanks to the State, the Korean Government, and Korean Buddhism for always paying attention. and support Vietnamese Buddhist activities locally.

She hopes that Vietnamese Buddhists in Korea will stand side by side in life as well as in the path of practice to go further, develop, and be more successful.

Nga voiced her hope that Vietnamese Buddhists will continue to stick together, accompany and share in the common home of the Vietnamese Buddhist Association and the Vietnamese Buddhist Culture Centre in RoK, together with Buddhist nun Thich Nu Gioi Tanh, obey the laws of the host country, has the responsibility to contribute to building the Korean nation and always looks towards the homeland.

Delegates at the Vu Lan Festival in Incheon City on September 3. Photo: Vietnamese Buddhist Culture Centre in the RoK

Ly Huan, chairman of the Korean-Vietnamese Association, said that in 1226, Prince Ly Long Tuong came to Korea and he was the 32nd generation descendant of Prince Ly Long Tuong.

He said he was born and raised in Incheon. He has many memories in the city and when he often goes to temples. He's very happy that the Vu Lan Festival is held at Heungryunsa Pagoda and hopes that not only the country, people, and culture but also Vietnamese Buddhism will increasingly develop.

The ceremony ended with a Vietnam-Korea cultural exchange art program.

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