Vietnam promotes Buddhist discourse with social network

By Viet Tuan   May 12, 2019 | 11:54 pm PT
Vietnam promotes Buddhist discourse with social network
Buddhists monks and nuns attend a ceremony to mark the U.N. Day of Vesak at Tam Chuc Pagoda, Ha Nam Province, May 12, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh
The Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam announced the launch of its own social network Saturday at the Tam Chuc Pagoda.

The announcement came on the sidelines of the pagoda in the northern province of Ha Nam hosting the U.N. Day of Vesak, drawing thousands of international delegates.

Butta, Vietnam’s first social network dedicated to Buddhism, has Buddhist followers as its target demographic, providing information about Buddhism in Vietnam and the world, said Thich Thien Nhon, head of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's executive council.

"[The social network] will be an address from which Buddhist principles and practices can spread among people, guiding them towards goodness and divinity," said Nhon.

Butta is now available on iOS and Android.

Vietnam is a predominantly Buddhist nation. It is estimated that over 70 percent of the Vietnamese population either are Buddhist or follow Buddhist practices.

Around half Vietnam’s population get online. An April report by social media marketing and advertising agency We Are Social showed that Vietnamese are online seven hours a day and spend a daily average of 2.5 hours on social networks.

 
 
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