On the evening of May 28 (the 12th day of the 4th lunar month), thousands of Buddhists and people from all over flocked to Phap Hoa Pagoda to attend the flower lantern festival to celebrate Vesak 2026, creating a solemn and warm atmosphere.
The Buddha's Birthday ceremony held on the full moon of the 4th lunar month every year is a momentous occasion for Buddhists to commemorate the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni. Considered a large-scale activity in Ho Chi Minh City, the lantern festival held annually by Phap Hoa Pagoda always attracts a large number of participants.
Recorded on the evening of May 28, the roads around the pagoda area such as Truong Sa, Hoang Sa, Le Van Sy were all crowded with people and vehicles. Although moving through intersections encountered many difficulties due to the large number of people flocking in, most people and tourists were happy and patiently moved towards the festival.
As a local resident who is regularly associated with this activity, Ms. Hong An (resident in Nhieu Loc ward) shared that every year, she comes to Phap Hoa Pagoda to release lanterns to pray for peace for her family. She expressed her joy because although the space is somewhat crowded, each year there is such a meaningful Buddha's Birthday season.
Providing information about the event, Venerable Thich Quang Minh - abbot of Phap Hoa Pagoda - said that the flower lantern festival is one of the key activities within the Buddhist Birthday Celebration Culture Week of the pagoda.
To serve a large number of people coming to worship and pray, this year, the pagoda has prepared about 6,000 flower lanterns to distribute free of charge to people participating, besides, there are also many people who actively prepare their own flower lanterns to bring with them.
Although the number of people gathering along both sides of the canal and the pagoda grounds reached thousands of people, the lantern releasing activities still took place orderly and civilized under the guidance and timely diversion of volunteers.
When night falls, flower lanterns carrying wishes for health and peace are successively dropped into the Nhieu Loc canal, extending into a shimmering, magical stream of light right in the heart of the modern city.
