They waited for three hours Tuesday at the Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda (Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple) in District 10 to get a glimpse of the miraculously ossified heart of the monk who immolated himself to protest against the Ngo Dinh Diem regime's suppression of Buddhism in erstwhile South Vietnam.
From around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a continuous stream of visitors entered the relic chamber to pay their respects. The sacred relic is placed in a solemn setting in front of a giant photo of Thich Quang Duc being engulfed in flames during his self-immolation.
The relic had been brought to the pagoda a day earlier after being stored for 34 years in a vault at the State Bank of Vietnam's city office. It will remain at the pagoda until Saturday.
The heart relic is enshrined in multiple layers of glass.
Venerable Thich Quang Duc, who was born Lam Van Tuat in 1897 in the central Khanh Hoa Province, set himself on fire on June 11, 1963, at the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung and Le Van Duyet Streets (now Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Cach Mang Thang Tam).
But his heart did not burn despite being in the fire for hours and turned into a stone-like relic. It was first taken to Xa Loi Pagoda and later to Vietnam Quoc Tu for veneration.
Since 1991 it has been in the central bank's office.
Monks, nuns and lay Buddhists filed past the relic in line with each getting about a minute to pay their respects.
Security was tight, with a single entrance and multiple exits, to maintain order. People were not allowed to bring incense, take photos or videos or livestream from inside.
Three to four hours earlier groups of visitors from outside HCMC had gathered outside the pagoda. Organizers said that as of May 2 nearly 50,000 people had registered to view the relic.
At 2 p.m. on Tuesday the gates were partially opened with security staff managing entry. Only pre-registered groups were allowed in.
Unregistered visitors trying to enter were asked to leave by the security personnel.
Crowds thronged the sidewalks along Ba Thang Hai Street despite the sweltering heat, patiently awaiting their turn.
Venerable Thich Thien Ly, head of the Quan Am Cac delegation from Vung Tau City, said his group of over 200 people traveled by seven vehicles starting early in the morning to attend the event.
"For Buddhists, Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc is a shining example of compassion, wisdom and noble sacrifice. Being able to pay homage to his heart relic is an immense honor and deeply moving for all of us."
At 3:30 p.m. large crowds were still waiting outside Viet Nam Quoc Tu to pay their respects.
The pagoda, situated at 244 Ba Thang Hai Street, District 10, was built in 1964 and is one of the most prominent in the country. Its abbot is the Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, the Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.
