The Embassy of India and the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam held a ceremony on August 27 to inaugurate a statue of Mahatma Gandhi as India's most famous independence campaigner to celebrate his 150th birthday, Nhan Dan newspaper reports.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Vietnam’s former Foreign Minister Nguyễn Dy Niên, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Thích Đức Thiện, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish, and representatives of Indian and Vietnamese organizations.
“Mahatma Gandhi is a hero for Indians, just like Late President Hồ Chí Minh is for Vietnamese people. Therefore, the inauguration of Mahatma Gandhi statue in Vietnam has a very special meaning,” Senior Venerable Thích Đức Thiện said at the ceremony.
“On the occasion of Indian External Affairs Minister’s visit to Vietnam and the inauguration of Mahatma Gandhi statue, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the Embassy of India have jointly held a number of meaningful activities, including drum performances to welcome Buddhist monks at Tay Thien Temple, Hindi songs performed by Vietnamese singers, and a memorandum of understanding signed between the International Centre for Cultural Studies and the My Son World Heritage Site’s Management Board,” he added.
Addressing the event, Minister Sushma Swaraj highlighted the century-old friendship between the two countries, which has been built and developed on mutual trust, cultural exchanges and strong people-to-people relations.
Source: en.thesaigontimes.vn
