The trip to Ba Den Mountain is one of ICDV's important activities in preparation for the biggest Buddhist festival in the world , Vesak Day, which will take place from May 6-8, 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City.

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The Vesak 2025 delegation poses for a commemorative photo at the foot of the Maitreya Buddha statue. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain

From early morning, nearly 100 delegates gathered at Ba Den Mountain, a sacred mountain deeply connected to the religious life of the people of Southern Vietnam. Here, the delegation performed the ritual of paying homage before the relics of Shakyamuni Buddha. These relics were gifted to Vietnam by the World Buddhist Federation in 2014.

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The Vesak delegation at the Buddhist exhibition area on Ba Den Mountain. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain

During the discussion on the 2025 Vesak Celebration, Venerable Phra Brahmapundit - President of ICDV - expressed his hope that the event would attract more than 1,000 delegates from 80 countries to visit Ba Den Mountain and admire the vibrant Buddhist culture in Vietnam.

Venerable Phra Brahmapundit also praised the scenery and climate of Mount Ba Den, calling it a precious destination. “Vesak 2025 will have a series of important programs at the Buddhist Academy in Ho Chi Minh City, in which Mount Ba Den is a precious gem, a main highlight of the entire event,” the Venerable added.

Venerable T. Dhammaratana - Vice President of ICDV also had special praise for this spiritual destination: "The cable car's journey through the mist to Sun World Ba Den is a truly fascinating experience."

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Delegates for Vesak 2025 visit Ba Den Mountain. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain

During the trip, the delegation visited a system of Buddhist cultural works, including the tallest statue of the Goddess of Mercy on Mount West Potala in Asia, located on the mountaintop; the world's largest sandstone statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva; and toured a Buddhist exhibition space displaying replicas of classic Buddhist works from around the world and Vietnam, and watched a 3D mapping film about the formation of the universe…

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The Vesak delegation at the Buddhist exhibition area on Ba Den Mountain. Photo: Sun World Ba Den Mountain

According to Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Ba Den Mountain was chosen as the location for international delegates and Buddhists to visit and participate in religious and cultural festivals on the last day of the Vesak Great Celebration, May 8, 2025. “Ba Den Mountain was chosen because it is a sacred mountain, a mountain that has entered history and is deeply ingrained in the consciousness of the Vietnamese people. It also holds spiritual and historical origins and brings a sense of peace to everyone.”

Thus, during the 2025 Vesak celebration, thousands of delegates from various countries, United Nations agencies, and Buddhist leaders from both within and outside Vietnam will come to Ba Den Mountain to hold sacred ceremonies. This is considered a meaningful and important activity in the series of events for Vesak 2025, affirming the international Buddhist community's interest in the traditional values ​​of Vietnamese Buddhism in general and Ba Den Mountain – a symbol in the religious life of Southern Vietnam – in particular.

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Mount Ba Den was described as paradise by the Vice President of ICDV. Photo: Le Nhat Hung Phat

The 2025 Vesak Celebration marks the fourth time Vietnam has hosted this most important Buddhist festival in the world, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Vietnam's reunification and the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day. The event is expected to be attended by 2,000 official delegates, including 1,000 international guests from 80 countries and territories, including heads of state, leaders of United Nations agencies, leaders of Buddhist churches and sects, scholars, and researchers; and 1,000 domestic guests, consisting of monks and nuns from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

Ngoc Minh