Most Venerable Thich Thien Duyen, Head of the Central Buddhists Guidance Board, who chairs the conference, highlighted the nearly 2,000 year-old history of Vietnamese Buddhism which, the cleric said, has been always going up and down with the nation.

“Measures to follow the Buddha’s teachings have, therefore, been adapted to the integration era in an effort to spread the value of Buddhism doctrine in an effective way,” said the senior Buddhist cleric.

The cleric urged the entire Buddhist community to warm up the country’s social life with the light of Buddhism and strengthen unity among different religious communities.

The three-day conference, which opened in Can Tho city on July 15, is to focus on major issues such as upholding the identity of Buddhist culture, orientation on daily and religious life for Khmers and other ethnic minority groups in these two regions and experiences in holding religious training courses.

Also high on the event’s agenda are experiences in leading a progressive and happy family life among Buddhists in line with the concept of Buddhism and teachings for younger generations on what to do for the nation in the current integration and development stage.

As part of the conference, there will be many programmes such as a camp of Buddhists’ families, charity events, a ceremony to adopt 500 new monks and nuns to the Sangha and preaching courses by lecturers from the Central Department for Propagation of Faith.

On this occasion, the organising board has distributed 900 sets of gifts to poor people across Can Tho city and presented 100 bicycles to poor students. Organisers also held free medical check-ups and granted medicine and milk for some 1,000 poor patients in the city.