The All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya, the Cultural Affairs Ministry, and the Vietnamese Sangha have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote pilgrimage tourism between Sri Lanka and Vietnam under the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Temple-to-Temple Diplomacy Program. Thirty-nine Vietnamese bhikkhus and bhikkhunis made a five-day pilgrimage to Sri Lanka under the program.
They visited Sri Lanka under the patronage of the All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya and the Cultural Affairs Ministry of Sri Lanka, coordinated by the Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka.
Members of the Vietnamese Buddhist clergy and laity who accompanied them met at the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday to share their experiences in Sri Lanka at a press conference. They expressed their pleasure over the tour, particularly their visits to the Ruwanweli Seya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, where they witnessed the rich cultural and Buddhist heritage of Sri Lanka.
The press conference was attended by the Ambassador of Vietnam to Sri Lanka, Ho Thi Thanh Truc, Chief Abbot of Thang Nghiem Law Conclave, Ven. Thich Minh Thanh Thera, Ven. Kaluwane Kumara Kassapa Thera of the World Buddhist Youth Sangha Council, and State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tharaka Balasuriya.
The Temple-to-Temple Diplomacy Program was initiated by the Ministry in mid-2023, based on a concept by State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya. The program aims to promote religious, cultural, and economic cooperation between Asian countries.
State Minister Balasuriya said that the guidance and cooperation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, had been invaluable in expanding the diplomatic outreach of the program to enhance economic collaboration, tourism, and cultural exchanges. “We are looking forward to signing similar MoUs with Vietnam and other Asian countries for cultural, religious, and economic cooperation, including cultural and economic exchanges,” he said.
Ven. Kaluwane Kumara Kassapa Thera of the World Buddhist Youth Sangha Council said that while bhikkhus and bhikkhunis in Asia have great respect for the Buddha’s teachings and pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka, there had not been a firm foundation for close communication or association until State Minister Balasuriya’s intervention.
“The All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya, the World Buddhist Youth Sangha Council, and the All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya Chief Secretary (Lekhadhikari) Ven. Mugunuwela Anuruddha Thera have helped to create this foundation,” he said.
