Participating in the event included Assoc. Pro., Dr. Deputy Director of the Religion and Belief Institute under the Hồ Chí Minh National Political Academy Hoàng Thị Lan, Chairman of the Bac Ninh provincial religious committee Đinh Xuân Vịnh, representatives of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Bac Ninh, a large number of scholars from the Institute for Religious Studies under the Vietnam Academy for Social Sciences, the Institute for Han – Nom (old Chinese – Vietnamese) studies, the Vietnam Institute for Encyclopedia & Dictionary and social institutes in Bac Ninh, and representatives of concerning local authorities.

Assoc. Pro., Dr. Hoàng Thị Lan, Deputy Director of the Religion and Belief Institute under the Hồ Chí Minh National Political Academy speaks at the seminar

The seminar focused on the roles of Buddhism in the national construction and defense, and the preservation and promotion of Buddhist cultural values, as well as mobilization of Buddhist resources for socio-economic development in Bac Ninh.

The one-day event drew 28 presentation papers from scholars, state officials and Buddhist dignitaries.    

Senior Venerable Thích Thiện Hạnh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Committee in Bac Ninh delivers his speech at the event

According to a local report, Buddhist followers in Bac Ninh currently account for 20% of the provincial population; other 60% of the population in the province has a mixed influence of Buddhism and folk beliefs and. Bac Ninh is currently home to over 600 Buddhist worshipping places and 700 worshipping establishments of folk religions. Historians have also pointed out Bac Ninh is the cradle of Vietnam Buddhism.

PTT