The earliest established religions in Vietnam according to Wikipedia are Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam formally allows for religious freedom. And so Vietnamese Buddhist families in Syracuse have been sharing
in the festivities of the Yen Tu Buddhist Spring Festival with their families and friends from across the world in Vietnam. The Internet era has made this sharing in the Spring Festival celebrations from across the world easier than ever before.
The Buddhist Channel has reported "Yen Tu Buddhist Spring Festival Begins In Vietnam." The Vietnam news agency has reported the Yen Tu Pagoda Spring Festival has opened in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on the tenth day of the first lunar month, in the presence of Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan. Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns, followers and visitors have joined in a procession and a ceremony in order to offer incense to King Tran Nhan Tong, who reigned over Vietnam from 1279 to 1293 and then left the throne to devote his life to Buddhism.
The Yen Tu mountain is located about 50km from Ha Long City. It is said the reason that King Tran Nhan Tong passed the throne to his son so that he could devote his life living as a Buddhist monk was due to the area's beautiful natural landscape and awe-inspiring scenery, along with surrounding ancient pagodas and hermitages. While there, King Tran Nhan Tong founded the Truc Lam meditation sect, which has led to the recognition of Yen Tu as the country's leading center for Buddhism.
Photographer: koratmember
