Joining the reception included Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Mai Phan Dũng.

The 70-members An Nam Buddhist sect from Thailand delegation visiting to Vietnam from November 28 to December4 was led by Most Ven. Phra Mahathirachan Somdet, Head of the Office for Overseas Dhammaduta Bhikkhus of the Supreme Sangha Council of Thialand and Most Venerable Phra Dechathorn Kitsamer, Abbot of Khanh Tho Pagoda belonging to An Nam Buddhist sect.

Speaking with the host, Most Venerable Phra Mahathirachan Somdet thanked the GCRA official for the warm welcome and highly appreciated practical contributions of Annamkiya sect to Buddhism in Thailand and friendship relation between the two Buddhist Sanghas of Vietnam and Thailand

Speaking at the reception, Vice Chairwoman Trần Thị Minh Nga spoke highly of roles and achievements of Annamkiya sect over the past years, contributing to strengthening friendly relations between Vietnam and Thailand and creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Thailand to integrate and develop in the host country.

Vice Chairwoman Trần Thị Minh Nga speaks at the reception

According to the Vice Chairwoman, Vietnam currently has 22 overseas Vietnamese Buddhist organizations, with more than 500 pagodas and over 600 Vietnamese monks and nuns practicing Buddhism in foreign countries. Overseas Vietnamese Buddhist organizations and more than 14 million Buddhists in Vietnam are great resources in building national unity, people-to-people relations, and contributing to the development of the country, she stated.

Most Venerable Phra Dechathorn Kitsamer presents gifts to the GCRA

She expressed hope that the Buddhist Sanghas in Vietnam and Thailand would continue promoting exchanges and cooperation activities for mutual development, contributing to spreading fine traditions of Buddhism in social life and tightening solidarity and friendship between Buddhism and the people of the two countries. She added that with its role and functions, the GCRA would always be ready to guide, support and create favorable conditions for religious practices of Annamkiya sect in Thailand and Vietnam.

Vice Chairwoman Trần Thị Minh Nga presents memorial picture to the Buddhist delegation

The An Nam Tong (Annamkiya) Buddhist sect (also called Vietnamese Buddhist sect) has been established in Thailand since the late 18th century. In 1889, the Annamkiya Buddhist sect was officially recognized by King Rama V (Chulalongkorn, reigned 1868-1910) as one of the two foreign Buddhist sects in Thailand. Over the past 200 years, Thai Kings gave names to and appointed monks of Vietnamese-built pagodas belonging to Annamkiya sect.

Annamkiya Buddhist sect in Thailand currently has over 200 monks and 21 pagodas, eight of which has Vietnamese nameplates, besides Thai and Chinese nameplates. The Vietnamese pagodas in Thailand are places for both cultural and religious activities for over 100,000 Vietnamese expatriates, contributing to preserving Vietnamese culture abroad.

As planned, the Buddhist delegation will visit concerning state agencies, the Buddhist Institute in Hanoi and several worshipping places in Hanoi, Quang Ninh and Ha Nam 

Anh Khôi