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Huệ Nhã wrote this Vietnamese article, published in Luật Khoa Magazine on March 29, 2025. Thúc Kháng translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.

The 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak (UN Day of Vesak) will be held in Hồ Chí Minh City from April 28 to May 12, marking the fourth time Vietnam has hosted this prominent Buddhist celebration. Delegates from 80 countries and territories are expected to visit Vietnam and grace the event with their presence.

One of the celebration's highlights will be the ceremonial procession of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s relics from India to Vietnam, where they will be enshrined for public veneration by monks, nuns, and devoted Buddhist followers.

Despite the event being less than a month away, official details regarding the transport and arrival of the relics remain unclear and inconsistent. In the midst of this uncertainty, the Sun Group VN Joint Stock Company announced its intention to support the procession, with plans to enshrine the relics at the top of Bà Đen Mountain — a site under development by the corporation — in Tây Ninh Province.

Event Management and Relic Transport Vietnam faces two main issues regarding the transport of the Buddha’s relics: (1) organizing the invitation and reception of the Buddha’s relics from India , (2) receiving the “Heart Relic of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức” for enshrinement during the celebration .

In January 2025, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha stated that the plan to transport the Buddha’s relics had received support from the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

By late February, during a preparatory meeting for the 2025 United Nations Day of Vesak, the Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, said that the Prime Minister had “agreed in principle” to the proposals made by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha — including the transport of relics from India — although the plan was still “under consideration.”

Following this event, several news outlets such as Tiền Phong, Thanh Niên, and Giác Ngộ reported that the Government was still in the process of reviewing the proposal.

For instance, Giác Ngộ quoted Vũ Hoài Bắc, who noted that “the government has confirmed agreement” on certain aspects of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s overall plan for the Vesak celebration.

However, other media outlets reported different information.

For example, Tuổi Trẻ ran the headline: “Approval Granted to Receive the Buddha’s Relics from India…,” claiming that the Government had fully agreed to let the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha organize both the reception and enshrinement of the relics during Vesak 2025.

Then, on March 18, 2025, Sun Group suddenly published an article titled, “Visitors to Witness a Buddhist ‘Treasure’ During Vesak Week at Bà Đen Mountain,” adding further confusion over which organization would be responsible for the Buddha’s relics. The article also stated that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha would hold the ceremony to receive the relics at Bà Đen Mountain on May 8, 2025. In addition, the program would feature special rituals, such as commemorative Bodhi tree planting, to welcome thousands of delegates.

Multiple media outlets, including Văn Hóa Newspaper, Tây Ninh Newspaper, Sài Gòn Giải Phóng, Tuổi Trẻ, and VnExpress republished the Sun Group’s article under their tourism sections. The Tây Ninh Provincial Center for Tourism Promotion also reposted the same information on March 20, 2025

By March 24, 2025, an inter-agency working group from the government met with representatives from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the International Council for the Day of Vesak (ICDV) to continue planning the event.

According to Giác Ngộ Newspaper, the 2025 Vesak celebration proposal is still being finalized and has not been submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

Who is the Sun Group? The Sun Group, officially known as Sun Group VN Joint Stock Company, is a major Vietnamese corporation operating in real estate and tourism. It was founded in 1998 by Lê Viết Lam and his associates in Ukraine. The corporation expanded its operations to Vietnam in 2007, with its first project being Bà Nà Hills. Since then, the group has developed over 50 subsidiary companies operating across key sectors such as hospitality, entertainment, high-end real estate, and infrastructure.

According to financial reports, as of June 30, 2024, the Sun Group’s owner’s equity stood at 12,532 billion VND, an increase of 140 billion VND compared to the same period in 2023. The group’s total assets reached 31,831 billion VND, indicative of a 2,429 billion rise since the beginning of the year. Its net profit after tax for the first half of 2024 amounted to 283 billion VND.

Despite being known for its large-scale real estate projects, the Sun Group has frequently faced public and media criticism for tourism developments that encroach on natural environments, disrupt landscapes, and damage ecosystems.

In September 2019, Phụ Nữ TP. HCM Newspaper launched an investigative series that exposed signs of violations in the Sun Group’s projects in protected natural areas such as the Bà Nà–Núi Chúa (Đà Nẵng) and the Tam Đảo National Park (Vĩnh Phúc).

On May 28, 2020, under the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Authority of Press issued an administrative penalty against Phụ Nữ TP. HCM , imposing a fine of 55 million VND and suspending its electronic publishing license for one month. The reason was that the paper published false information that “seriously affected” the Sun Group.

The following day, the newspaper published an article titled “What Mistakes Did Phụ Nữ TP. HCM Make?” admitting to some professional errors. However, the editorial team maintained that the main content of their report was accurate. This incident ultimately resulted in leadership changes at the newspaper. Editor-in-Chief Lê Huyền Ái Mỹ’s resignation was accepted on September 16, 2020, and she was succeeded by Lý Việt Trung, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sài Gòn Giải Phóng, on Dec. 21, 2020.

Most recently, in August 2024, the Sun Group began land reclamation in the Cát Bà central bay with a total investment of nearly 12,500 billion VND, aiming to transform the area into the “Little Maldives of Asia.” Surprisingly, only after three months of construction had about two-thirds of the bay area already been reclaimed. Environmental experts and the public strongly criticized the Sun Group, accusing the project of severely damaging the natural landscape and ecosystem.

2025 Vesak Celebration Activities According to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, several religious activities will occur during the 2025 UN Day of Vesak at Bà Đen Mountain, Tây Ninh Province.

The venue is expected to welcome around 1,200 international delegates from 120 countries and territories and 3,500 domestic delegates. Various spiritual events and major Buddhist ceremonies are also planned, including a lantern-lighting ritual to pray for world peace.

Bà Đen Mountain is also home to another relic: a crystal of the Shakyamuni Buddha, which was gifted to Vietnam in 2014 by the World Buddhist Federation in Bodh Gaya, India. Initially, the relic was kept at the Thiên Hưng Pagoda in Bình Định Province.

It was later ceremoniously transferred and enshrined at the summit of Bà Đen Mountain during the Buddha’s Birthday celebration on June 2, 2023. Since then, the Sun Group has distributed exclusively all press photos related to the relic, and the mountain is now being developed and operated under the brand name “Sun World Bà Đen Mountain.”

According to the Hoa Sen Library, Vesak commemorates three major events in the life of the Buddha: his birth, enlightenment, and passing into Nirvana

The term "Vesak" comes from the name of a month in the ancient Indian calendar, corresponding to the full moon of May in the Gregorian calendar. In 1950, the World Fellowship of Buddhists agreed to designate the full moon of the Vesak month as the day to honor these three sacred events.

By 1999, the United Nations officially recognized Vesak as an international day of observance. As of now, Vesak has been held 20 times worldwide.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha will host this year’s traditional Vesak Celebration. This is the fourth time Vietnam has done so, following previous celebrations held in Hà Nội (2008), Ninh Bình (2014), and Hà Nam (2019).

The event is considered an important opportunity to promote Vietnam’s image and strengthen international connections through religious activities.

As such, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha aims to build a large-scale communication strategy to spread the message of the 2025 Vesak Celebration to a wide domestic and international audience. According to the 2025 first quarter report on Buddhist affairs, the 2025 Vesak Celebration is expected to be broadcast live on Vietnam Television (VTV), the Vietnam News Agency (TTXVN), and on the digital platforms of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

The main theme of this year’s Vesak Celebration is: “Solidarity and Tolerance for Human Dignity: Buddhist Wisdom for World Peace and Sustainable Development.”

The sub-themes include Cultivating Inner Peace for World Peace, Forgiveness and Healing Through Mindfulness: The Path of Reconciliation, Compassion in Action: Shared Responsibility for Human Development, Mindfulness in Education for a Compassionate and Sustainable Future, and Promoting Solidarity: Collaborative Efforts for Global Harmony.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has planned seven Buddhist cultural projects for the Vesak Celebration, including:

Buddhist culture exhibition Art programs and international cultural exchanges Hot air balloon event Buddhist cultural fair Vietnamese tea ceremony Lantern lighting and lantern-releasing ceremony According to Giác Ngộ Newspaper, the proposed schedule for the celebration is as follows:

The opening ceremony and symposium of the Vesak Celebration will take place at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hồ Chí Minh City (Lê Minh Xuân campus, Bình Chánh District). Art performances, exhibitions, and cultural events are expected to be held at the Reunification Palace (District 1, Hồ Chí Minh City). The closing ceremony will be held at the Military Zone 7 Stadium (Tân Bình District, Hồ Chí Minh City). To date, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has established specialized committees to oversee the event's programs, completed the necessary infrastructure, and sent official invitations to attending delegates.

According to Notice No. 400/TB-HĐTS issued by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Executive Council, the celebration's organisation involves coordination with relevant state agencies, but all funding is expected to come from private sources.

The Buddha’s Relics The 2025 Vesak Celebration is expected to feature the sacred rituals of "reception" and "enshrinement" for two holy relics: the relics of the Shakyamuni Buddha from India and the "Indestructible Heart" of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức.

The Buddha relic is considered a national treasure in India. Therefore, permission must be granted by the Indian government to bring the relics to Vietnam. The process must also adhere to the proper religious rituals and bilateral diplomatic regulations. The relic procession will take place on May 8, 2025, at the Tây Bổ Đà Sơn Square in Bà Đen Mountain. Afterwards, the relics will be enshrined at several major spiritual sites across the country:

In Hồ Chí Minh City, before the opening ceremony, the relics will be brought to the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City for enshrinement. In Hanoi, the relics will be enshrined at Quán Sứ Pagoda from May 9 to 14. In Hà Nam Province, the relics will be enshrined at the Tam Chúc Pagoda from May 15 to 21. The "Indestructible Heart" of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức, currently stored at the State Bank of Vietnam - Hồ Chí Minh City Branch, will also be brought in procession and enshrined at the Thanh Tâm Pagoda as part of the Vesak Celebration.

Relics are the remains of the Shakyamuni Buddha's physical body after his cremation and are considered the holiest objects in Buddhism. Some monks who have passed away also leave behind relics — such as bones, hair, or teeth — after their cremation. Examples of this include the "Indestructible Heart" of Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức, or the relics of Thích Nhất Hạnh, which are preserved at Từ Hiếu Pagoda.

Currently, many pagodas in Vietnam still contain relics of the Buddha, including Quán Sứ Pagoda (Hà Nội), Xá Lợi Pagoda (Hồ Chí Minh City), and Bái Đính Pagoda (Ninh Bình).

Sun Group, the Sangha, and the State: Confusion Surrounds Vesak 2025 Preparations?

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