Relics of the Buddha, national treasure of India
The upcoming United Nations Vesak Festival 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) will feature a significant event: the display and veneration of Buddhist relics, national treasures of India. On April 17, 2025, Venerable Thích Đức Thiện, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, provided details about the grand celebration, scheduled from May 6th to 8th. This major event will also include activities before and after the main ceremony.
“The 2025 Vesak celebration in HCMC serves as an affirmation of Vietnam’s rich Buddhist history and culture to the international community,” Venerable Thích Đức Thiện stated. “It also provides an opportunity for international friends to experience HCMC and witness the Vietnamese people’s dedication to peace, friendship, solidarity, and harmony.”
The festival will prominently feature the procession and enshrinement of Buddha relics, along with the relics of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức. Specifically, the procession and enshrinement of the Indian Buddha relics will take place on May 2nd at Thanh Tâm Temple (Bình Chánh District). On May 3rd, the relic veneration ceremony will occur at Thanh Tâm Temple for the Indian Buddha relics and at Việt Nam Quốc Tự Temple (District 10) for the relics of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức.
“The procession, enshrinement, and veneration of the Buddha relics, a national treasure of India, and the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức, represent a special event within this year’s Vesak Festival,” Venerable Thích Đức Thiện explained. “These activities aim to meet the needs of a large number of monks, nuns, Buddhists, and the general public. The organizers will provide the best possible conditions for everyone to pay their respects.”
Following the enshrinement at Thanh Tâm Temple, the Indian Buddha relics will be paraded to Núi Bà Đen (Tây Ninh Province) from May 8th to 13th, then to Quán Sứ Temple (Hanoi) from May 13th to 16th, and finally to Tam Chúc Temple (Hà Nam Province) from May 17th to 21st, before returning to India.
The Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha notes that hosting this festival in HCMC affirms the consistent government policies of respecting and safeguarding freedom of religion and belief. It also highlights the achievements of Vietnam’s 50 years of reunification, benefiting the Vietnamese religious community.
The Vesak Festival organizers have held meetings with relevant HCMC authorities to discuss traffic management strategies for the festival’s various events, ensuring smooth operation.
The festival is expected to welcome 1,200 international delegates from 85 countries, including Buddhist leaders, scholars, and researchers. Around 1,000 domestic delegates will also participate. Vietnam has previously hosted three United Nations Vesak Festivals, in Hanoi in 2008, at Bái Đính Temple in Ninh Bình in 2014, and at Tam Chúc Temple in Hà Nam in 2019.
