Embassy In Viet Nam Promotes Religious And Cultural Diplomacy Coinciding National Vesak Day
In the spirit of implementing the objectives of Temple-to-Temple Diplomacy initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka, Embassy of Sri Lanka in Viet Nam, Ha Noi in coordination with Most Venerable Mugunuwela Anuruddha Thero, Secretary General All Island Buddha sasana Council organized an approximately 50 member Vietnamese Buddhist delegation to Sri Lanka. The delegation would be visiting Sri Lanka to commemorate National Vesak Day in Matale in Sri Lanka. The 50-member delegation left to Sri Lanka last week and Ambassador Dr. Mendis and Mr. M. Premathilake, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy were present at the airport to wish them a fruitful and productive visit to Sri Lanka.
50 member Vietnamese Buddhist Delegation at Noi Bai Airport in Ha Noi with Dr. Mendis and leader of Delegation, Most Venerable Thich Hanh Bich
The Vietnamese Buddhist delegation has also visited the most sacred pilgrim destinations in Sri Lanka including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya Dambulla and Kandy. The delegation was facilitated and coordinated by the Embassy of Viet Nam in Colombo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Cultural and Religious Affairs, Central Cultural Fund (CCF) and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau in Sri Lanka in close cooperation with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Hanoi.
Venerable Thich Hanh Bich, Editor in Chief of Buddhism and Life Newspaper, Standing Member of the Cultural Committee of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee and the Deputy Head of Information and Communications Division of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha led the five member Viet Nam Buddhist Journalist delegation, who have extended coverage to pilgrim tourism, religious functions and of course National Vesak Day of 2024 in Sri Lanka. It is of firm conviction of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ha Noi that this high-level visit as well as a number of previous visits by Vietnamese religious dignitaries and tourists would markedly boost and enhance tourism from Viet Nam to Sri Lanka.
It may further be stated that in 2023, over 13 million Vietnamese nationals have travelled overseas mostly to ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea and to other countries. Given this vast potential for promotion of tourism, particularly religious and cultural tourism, if Sri Lanka could capture a mere 0.5%, it would translate to around 65,000 Vietnamese nationals who would be traveling to Sri Lanka, thus elevating and aggrandizing the sphere of tourism in Sri Lanka. This particular visit coinciding Vesak Ceremony in Sri Lanka would be extended wide and extensive media coverage in Viet Nam, which would enable Vietnamese nationals to be cognizant of the natural beauty and attributes including fauna and flora as well as significant religious locations in Sri Lanka.
This visit marks one of the significant milestones in recent Sri Lanka – Viet Nam Buddhist and Cultural Relations since the inception of Temple-to-Temple Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka. Ambassador Dr. A Saj U Mendis and Mr. Mahesh Premathilake Minister Counsellor in cooperation with the Secretary General of All Island Buddhasasana Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Cultural Fund and the Embassy of Viet Nam in Colombo coordinated and facilitated this iconic Viet Nam pilgrims visit to Sri Lanka.
Ha Noi
22nd May 2024
