Truc Lam Giac Tam Zen Monasty in northern Quang Ninh province

An exhibition featuring 45 photos of Vietnamese pagodas at home and abroad has opened at Tam Chuc Pagoda in the northern province of Ha Nam on the occasion of the 16th United Nations Day of Vesak.

The Vietnam News Agency photos are divided into three categories – the pictures of pagodas from north to south, the pictures of pagodas on the country’s islands, and the pictures of Vietnamese pagodas abroad.

There are currently more than 14,000 pagodas across the country, with most of them located in the north, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Some of the most famous pagodas that are introduced at the exhibition are Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang Ninh Province, Truong Sa Pagoda and Song Tu Tay Pagoda on Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, and other pagodas in southern provinces like Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang, as well as on Phu Quoc and Ly Son islands.

The exhibition also features images of Vietnamese pagodas in other countries such as Vietnam Phat Quoc Tu in India and Nepal, Giac Hoang Pagoda in Washington, D.C., Mot Cot (One Pillar) Pagoda in Moscow, Russia, and Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Prague, Czech Republic.

As the largest religion in Vietnam, Buddhism has huge impact on the spiritual and cultural life of Vietnamese people. Pagodas can be found everywhere with diverse architectures.

The exhibition is part of a festival celebrating the 16th United Nations Day of Vesak at Tam Chuc Pagoda. The festival features art troupes from India, Japan, China, Bhutan, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam introducing heritage stories about Buddhism and Vietnam’s traditional culture through various genres of art.

Its opening ceremony on May 12 was attended by more than 1,650 international delegates from 112 countries and territories and over 20,000 Vietnamese Buddhists.

"Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the year’s most sacred day of the Buddhist world, according to the United Nations. It was the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago that the Buddha was born. It was also the Day of Vesak that the Buddha attained enlightenment, and it was the Day of Vesak that the Buddha passed away.

The General Assembly of the United Nations recognized the Day of Vesak in 1999 to acknowledge the contributions Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made to humanity.

Below are the photos of some pagodas featured at the exhibition:

Tam Chuc Pagoda in Ha Nam Province, where a pagoda photo exhibition is on Truong Sa Pagoda on Vietnam’s Truong Sa Archipelago Song Tu Tay Pagoda on Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago Giac Hoang Pagoda in Washington, D.C. Truc Lam Giac Tam Zen Monasty in Quang Ninh Province A pagoda in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang

SGT