Opening the conference, Venerable Thich Tho Lac, Head of the Central Culture Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, summarized the outstanding activities that the Central Culture Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has carried out in the past in general and in 2025 in particular. Besides continuing to implement projects on language, monastic attire, art, and Buddhist cultural symbols of "unity in diversity," the Committee also focuses on developing both tangible and intangible culture simultaneously, aiming to spread the spirit, thoughts, and positive lifestyle of Buddhism.
Particularly in 2025, the Central Culture Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha will sign cooperation agreements with training institutions, research institutes, associations, and businesses to implement very meaningful projects on collecting, preserving, promoting, and spreading the ideological, ethical, and social values of Vietnamese Buddhism. Venerable Thich Tho Lac emphasized: “The results of these collaborations will not only contribute to preserving and promoting the values of Buddhism in life, but will also be a way to preserve and develop the rich cultural identity of the Vietnamese nation.”
Venerable Thich Tho Lac - Head of the Central Culture Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha
Venerable Thich Thanh Tuan – Deputy Secretary General and Chief of the Central Office of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha – delivered a speech.
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has signed a cooperation agreement with the Central Culture Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha since 2024. With a team of nearly 400 highly qualified, interdisciplinary scientists currently working in more than 30 specialized fields, the University will collaborate with the Committee in many professional activities, including the United Nations Vesak Celebration 2025 to be held in Vietnam.
Speaking at the conference, Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, on behalf of the school's leadership, expressed deep gratitude for the attention and support of the Central Culture Committee and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the school's activities, and proposed specific areas of cooperation that the two sides could promote in 2026 and with a vision for 2030:
- Implement in-depth research programs to address major issues facing Buddhism today, focusing on three main themes: Buddhist culture in Vietnamese social life; Buddhism and social ethics, education, and sustainable development; and Vietnamese Buddhism in the context of international integration.
- Focus resources on implementing two key projects: the monograph project "Vietnamese Pagoda Heritage" and the project to build a scientific dossier on "Biographies of Martyr Monks and Nuns in Vietnamese History" to honor the contributions of Buddhism to the cause of national liberation.
- Organizing scientific conferences: Coordinating the organization of national-level events in 2026, including in-depth academic seminars on topics of great public interest.
- Promote consultation on planning, restoration, and digitization of heritage sites; and organize a series of public seminars on "Buddhist Culture Tea Talks" and short-term training courses on Han Nom (classical Chinese and Vietnamese script) and heritage preservation skills.
- To prepare policy advisory reports for the Party, Government, ministries, departments, and localities on the restoration of historical sites and the preservation and promotion of tangible and intangible Buddhist heritage in contemporary life.
Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong delivered a speech at the conference.
According to the agreement reached at the meeting, on January 31st, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Central Culture Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha will jointly organize a tea discussion on the topic "The Buddhist doctrine of 'Four Gratitudes' and student ethics today" right on the university campus.
