Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, passed away in Hanoi on November 26 at the age of 85.
The obituary says the Buddhist dignitary was born in 1927 in Kim Dong district, the northern province of Hung Yen, about 40km away from Hanoi.

When he was five years old, he left to live in Nho Lam pagoda in Kim Dong district, where he started studying Buddhism.

He later took an active part in revolutionary activities under the leadership of the Party and the Viet Minh Front.    

He made a significant contribution to merging 9 Buddhist sects and organisations into the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, and cementing unity between religions living under the same roof of the Vietnamese nation.  

He encouraged Buddhist monks, nuns and followers to practice the religion in line with Party guidelines and State policy, as well as participating in national emulation movements and humanitarian campaigns.

The Party and State awarded him noble distinctions, including the Resistance Order (first class), the Independence Order (second class), and the Great National Unity Order.

In October 2011, the State President signed a decision to confer the Ho Chi Minh Order on Thich Thanh Tu, recognising his great contributions to the country’s revolutionary cause.

The dignitary will be laid to rest in a coffin at Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi on November 28.

The memorial service will be held on November 30, and the Most Venerable will rest in peace at the Vietnam Buddhist Institute’s stupa in Soc Son district, Hanoi.

Officials and Buddhists attebd Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu's funeral:


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