Traditional Festivals of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar Celebrated in HCM City

HCM City: A ceremony was held at Pho Minh pagoda on April 6 to jointly celebrate the traditional New Year festivals of Bunpimay of Laos, Songkran of Thailand, Chol Chhnam Thmay of Cambodia, and Thingyang of Myanmar. According to Lao News Agency, the event was jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and the Central International Buddhist Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in HCM City. It saw the participation of representatives of the Consulates General of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, along with a large number of students and citizens from the four countries living, working, and studying in the southern city. Addressing the event, HUFO Vice President Ho Xuan Lam highlighted the friendship between Vietnam and the four countries, focusing on cooperation and mutual assistance in national construction and development. The annual celebration demonstrated the friendship among the people of ASEAN member countries, contributing to deepening mutual understandin g between Vietnam and its neighbors. It also enhanced cultural exchanges and multifaceted cooperation between the Vietnamese people and their Lao, Cambodian, Thai, and Myanmar counterparts. Most Venerable Thich Thien Tam, Vice President of the Executive Council and Vice Head of the Central International Buddhist Committee of the VBS, noted that the celebration highlighted the similarities in culture and religious practices among countries in the region. This effectively promoted solidarity and harmony between the people of Vietnam and the four countries in their efforts to promote peace and development in each country and the region. Phonesy Bounmixay, Consul General of Laos in HCM City, expressed gratitude for the thoughtful organization and the interest of the municipal authorities and people in the culture of neighboring countries. He mentioned that the celebration helped bring the people of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam closer together, fostering friendship, solidarity, and a shared com mitment to national construction and development in each country.