An international symposium was held in Vientiane on December 9 to discuss the history and development orientations of Vietnamese Buddhism in Laos.
The event was co-organised by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), the Lao National Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Social Sciences, and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute for Religious Studies.
In his speech, Vice President and Secretary General of the VBS’s Executive Council Venerable Thích Đức Thiện said the event aims to look into the formation and development of Vietnamese Buddhism in Laos, its contributions to the Vietnamese people living in Laos as well as the development of the host country, thus strengthening the bilateral special friendship.
Vice President of the VBS’s Executive Council Most Venerable Thích Bảo Nghiêm said the event affords a chance to help overseas Vietnamese in Laos stabilise their lives and strengthen their religious belief in the country.
The organising board received 30 reports by religious dignitaries, researchers and managers from the two countries, with a focus on the role of the VBS in the development of Vietnam Buddhism community in Laos, that of Buddhism in the Vietnamese community in Laos, Vietnamese and Lao Buddhism in Lao national construction and development, and solutions to difficulties met by Vietnamese Buddhism in Laos.
On the occasion, the VBS Central Committee and the National Liaison Committee for former Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts in Laos presented 550 gifts to war veterans and families that helped Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts in the past, and families of Vietnamese and Lao Buddhists across Vientiane./.
