HCM City, May 7 -- Thousands of Buddhist monks, nuns, and devotees gathered at Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City on May 6 to venerate the heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, a revered Vietnamese monk who self-immolated in 1963 in protest of religious repression.

The veneration ceremony, hed within the framework of the United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations 2025, was announced to begin at 2 pm on the day. However, people lined up outside the pagoda hours earlier.

Volunteers are deployed to support the elderly and children. All visitors must turn off their mobile phones or put them on silent mode, and refrain from filming and taking photos, and from bringing food, drinks, or items that could disrupt order o...