More than 10,000 people attended the candle lighting ceremony for peace within the framework of the 2025 Vesak Festival

Scene of the candlelight vigil for peace .

Within the framework of activities to celebrate the United Nations Vesak 2025, on the evening of May 6, at the campus of the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City and Lang Le Cultural Park, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, the Candle Lighting Ceremony - Flower Lantern Night to Pray for World Peace was organized by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha with the participation of more than 10,000 people, focusing on world peace, human dignity and sustainable development for all humanity.

Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, Deputy Supreme Patriarch, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Chairman of the National Organizing Committee for the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak; Most Venerable Professor-Doctor Brahmapundit, Chairman of the International Organizing Committee for the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak (ICDV); Mr. Dao Ngoc Dung, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Vietnam, and a number of leaders of central agencies, Ho Chi Minh City and localities attended.

The candle lighting ceremony - the night of flower lanterns praying for national peace and world peace were also attended by about 1,200 international delegates from 80 countries and 5 territories attending the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival in Ho Chi Minh City; 800 Vietnamese monks and nuns, about 4,000 young people in Ho Chi Minh City and the domestic Buddhist community.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Dao Ngoc Dung, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Vietnam expressed his gratitude to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the monks present at the ceremony for taking moments of silence to remember more than 3 million Vietnamese people who sacrificed to protect the independence and unification of the country, to remember more than 1.2 million heroic martyrs, to show gratitude to more than 800,000 wounded soldiers and millions of heroic Vietnamese mothers, and families with contributions to the revolution.

Expressing his sincere thanks to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and international delegates who attended the 25th United Nations Vesak in Vietnam, Mr. Dao Ngoc Dung affirmed that the Party and State of Vietnam always respect the freedom of religion and freedom of belief and non-belief of all people. Vietnam hopes that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and all people, religious and non-religious, will join hands in solidarity, compassion and forgiveness with the entire nation to build a prosperous, happy and prosperous Vietnam.

The candle-lit night to pray for peace is not only a symbolic ritual but also an act of resonance between religion and life, between spirituality and reality. Each candle lit is a deep wish for an end to war, violence, and injustice, an affirmation for a future that puts people at the center of development.

More than 10,000 people attended the candle lighting ceremony for peace within the framework of the 2025 Vesak Festival

Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, Deputy Supreme Patriarch, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Chairman of the National Organizing Committee of the United Nations Day of Vesak 2025 attended the ceremony.

The candle lighting ceremony - flower lantern night for world peace demonstrates the value of Buddhism in its global mission of not only preserving spiritual traditions, but also actively contributing to international dialogues on peace, human rights and sustainable development.

The 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak was held in Ho Chi Minh City, through the candlelight prayer ceremony, leaving a mark not only in the ritual, but also in people's hearts, as a common prayer for the world: "May all live in peace, without fear, without hatred and no one is left behind."

On the afternoon of May 6, at Thanh Tam Pagoda, Le Minh Xuan Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha established the Great Memorial Ceremony for the Heroic Martyrs, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, to express the spirit of gratitude and gratitude of Buddhists, with the tradition of protecting the country and the people, accompanying the nation throughout 2,000 years of history.

Most Venerable Thich Le Trang, Vice President of the Executive Council, Head of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, presided over the ceremony, together with the Sangha representing Vietnamese temples and monasteries, gathered together with Buddhists, united in chanting and chanting, forming a magnificent altar, creating a solemn international dharma assembly, while still preserving the Vietnamese spirit.

The Great Memorial Ceremony for the Heroes and Martyrs took place on May 6 and 7. The ceremonies were held according to Buddhist rituals of the three regions of North, Central and South, vividly demonstrating the heritage of Vietnamese Buddhist music - a unique contribution of Buddhism to the national cultural treasure.

In the atmosphere of the 2025 United Nations Vesak Festival - which brings together thousands of delegates from 80 countries and 5 territories, the prayer ceremony at Thanh Tam Pagoda not only has a ritual meaning, but also a global moral message that Vietnamese Buddhism affirms: "To have sustainable peace for the world, we must first heal the brokenness in spirituality, in history and in the human community."

This spirit is completely in line with the theme of Vesak 2025: “Solidarity and Tolerance for Human Dignity: Buddhist Insights for World Peace and Sustainable Development”.

According to VNA

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hon-10-000-nguoi-du-le-thap-nen-cau-hoa-binh-trong-khuon-kho-dai-le-vesak-2025-247914.htm