Attending the event included Most Venerable President of the VBS Central Executive Council Thích Thiện Nhơn, Most Venerable Standing Vice President of the Council Thích Thiện Pháp, Most Venerable Chairman of the Dong Nai provincial Executive Committee Thích Nhật Quang, Superior Nun Head of the VBS’s Sub-committee for nun affairs Thích nữ Tịnh Nguyện, members of the VBS’s central sub-committee and 43 local sub-boards for nun affairs, and 3,000 monks, nuns and followers from Dong Nai and neighboring provinces.

Distinguished guests at the event included Vice Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) Trần Tấn Hùng, Secretary of the Dong Nai provincial Party Committee Nguyễn Phú Cường and Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Hòa Hiệp.

GcRA Vice Chairman Trần Tấn Hùng presents commemorating flowers

The ceremony is an annual event of the Vietnam Buddhist church held with the aim to pay tribute to Elder Nun Mahapajapati Gotami who was the first woman ordained in Buddhism, and nuns of Vietnamese Buddhism who have rendered meritorious service to the country Buddhism.

Secretary of Dong Nai Party committee Nguyễn Phú Cường presenting commemorating flowers 

On the occasion, on March 21, the organization committee of the event held a seminar on contributions of Buddhist women in Dong Nai and presented VND 100 million to the border force, 100 gift sets to heroic mothers, 110 bicycles to excellent pupils from poor families, 240 gift packs to the disadvantaged and 60 wheelchairs to people with disabilities.

Seminar on contributions of Buddhist women

Concluding the event, the event’s organization committee announced the annual ceremony next year (2019) to be held by the VBS chapter in Tien Giang province./.

PTT