The event took place at Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery in Phong Dien district.
Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third king of the Tran dynasty,ascended the throne when he was just 21. He is famed for defeatingMongol invaders twice during his 15-year reign.
The Kingabdicated the throne when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life onYen Tu Mountain practising and propagating Buddhism. He founded the TrucLam School of Zen and worked to unify different Vietnamese Buddhismsects into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.
The Vietnam Buddhist SanghaCentral Committee has long observed the day King Tran Nhan Tong attainedNirvana (the first day of the 11th lunar month) as the nationalanniversary of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Thecommittee has also coordinated with ministries and branches to compile adossier to be submitted to UNESCO for its recognition of the Monk-Kingas a World Cultural Celebrity and the historical and cultural site ofthe Tran dynasty in Dong Trieu district and the sacred Buddhisthistorical site of Yen Tu as part of the World Cultural Heritage.-VNA