The opening ceremony of the third Cambodia – Laos – Vietnam Buddhist Summit took place in Phnom Penh (Photo: VNA)
The third Cambodia – Laos – Vietnam Buddhist Summit took place in Phnom Penh from October 27 to 29, focusing on the promotion of Buddhist harmony for peace and sustainable development.
Hosted by Cambodia’s Ministry of Cult and Religion, the conference brought together more than 200 delegates, including officials for religious affairs, Buddhist dignitaries from the three countries, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps in Phnom Penh. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Nguyen Hai Trung, Deputy Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cambodian Minister of Cult and Religion Chay Borin said the summit not only reflected the development of Buddhist practices in the three countries but also addressed the shared aspiration of Buddhists to promote peace and social harmony. He expressed his hope that the event would help to further strengthen solidarity, friendship, and cooperation among Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, while spreading the Buddhist values across the region and the world.
In her remarks, Samdech Men Sam An, Supreme Advisor to the Cambodian King, highlighted the long-standing ties among the three Mekong nations, forged through the shared struggles for independence, freedom, and reunification. She noted that since Cambodia’s liberation from the Pol Pot regime, relations among the three countries have grown even stronger, fostering cooperation in various fields, particularly religion.
She underscored that the Buddhist values of compassion, tolerance, selflessness, and altruism have deeply influenced everyday life in all three nations, nurturing peaceful coexistence and social stability. Buddhism, she said, continues to serve as a moral and spiritual foundation for national harmony, patriotism, cooperation, and peaceful and prosperous society.
Men Sam An stressed that in a rapidly changing and uncertain world, religion plays an increasingly important role in upholding the shared principles and contributing to peace and sustainable global progress.
At the plenary session, delegates discussed ways to strengthen Buddhist cooperation and its role in promoting harmony and sustainable growth.
Deputy Minister Trung commended the summit’s theme, noting its relevance at a time when armed conflicts persist and peace remains a global aspiration. He emphasised that true harmony—between people and nature—remains a shared ideal, while unsustainable development continues to burden future generations.
He reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, and being a friend, a reliable partner of all countries, and a responsible member of the international community. The country, he said, values and stands ready to promote religious cooperation—including Buddhist exchanges—as an important channel of people-to-people diplomacy that contributes to solidarity, friendship, mutual understanding, peace, cooperation, stability, and development in the region and beyond.
The State of Vietnam always respects and guarantees all people's right to freedom of religion or belief, he said, elaborating that it has consistently created conditions for religious organisations to operate in line with the Constitution and laws, fostered solidarity among religions, and brought into play the fine cultural and moral values, as well as resources, of religions for national development. Policies and laws on religious affairs have also been continuously fine-tuned to ensure the best possible conditions for all to practice their religious freedom.
According to Tran Thi Minh Nga, deputy head of the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs, over 95% of the Vietnamese population follow a belief or religion, with nearly 30,000 places of worship. Buddhism is the largest religion, accounting for 55% of all religious followers and 64% of worship sites.
At the summit, a joint declaration was signed, reaffirming the commitment to preserving and promoting Buddhist heritage, fostering regional Buddhist collaboration, promoting peace and harmony, supporting sustainable development, empowering the youth, and strengthening global solidarity and cooperation.
The summit agreed that the fourth event will be hosted by the Lao Buddhist Fellowship Organisation in 2027./.
