Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc's heart to be displayed in HCMC from May 6

By Dinh Van May 3, 2025 | 10:28 pm PT

The heart sarira of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, who died in self-immolation to protest the suppression of Buddhism by the Ngo Dinh Diem government in 1963, will be open for public viewing in Ho Chi Minh City from May 6 to 10.

The sarira relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, currently kept at the State Bank of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of Giac Ngo Newspaper

The heart relic of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, currently kept at the State Bank of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of Giac Ngo Newspaper

Venerable Thich Tam Hai, Deputy Head of the Information and Communication Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, announced on Saturday that the heart of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc would be transferred from its current location at the State Bank of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City to the Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple. Public worship and veneration will begin at 2:00 p.m. on May 6.

According to the event organizers, as of Friday afternoon, over 1,088 delegations, comprising nearly 50,000 individuals, had registered to venerate the sarira at the Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple.

The procession and veneration of the sarira at the Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple had been delayed from the original plan, which was May 3, due to "insufficient conditions," as per the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

Alongside the sarira of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, the sarira of the Buddha, which was brought from India to Vietnam, will also be available for veneration during the Vesak 2025 celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City. The Buddha’s sarira is currently on display at Thanh Tam Pagoda in the Buddhist Academy, where it has been prepared for public veneration since 6:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, born Lam Van Tuat in 1897 in Khanh Hoa Province in Central Vietnam, self-immolated on June 11, 1963, at what is now the Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Cach Mang Thang Tam intersection in Ho Chi Minh City. His act was a protest against the repression of Buddhism by the government of the Republic of Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Thousands of people and Buddhists witnessed his self-immolation. After the incident, his sarira was returned to the crematory, where it remained intact for several hours, transforming into a rock-like solid that preserved its original shape.

The Joint Committee for the Protection of Buddhism later decided to move the undying sarira to Xa Loi Buddhist Temple in Ho Chi Minh City for veneration. Subsequently, the sarira was stored at the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the State Bank of Vietnam for safekeeping.