On 1 November 2025, H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, presided over the Presentation Ceremony of the Royal Kathina Robes at the National Temple of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of Thailand graciously bestowed the Royal Kathina Robes upon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand for presentation to the congregation of Buddhist Monks there. The Ceremony was led by Most Venerable Great Elder Thich Tri Quang, Supreme Patriarch of the Patronage Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, and 25 members of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

Also in attendance were Mrs. Wannipa Isarabhakdi, spouse of the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ms. Urawadee Sriphiromya, Ambassador of Thailand to Viet Nam, Ms. Wiraka Moodhitaporn, Consul-General of Thailand in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Vorapan Srivoranart, Deputy Director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs, together with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Embassy in Hanoi, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City, Team Thailand in Viet Nam, and members of the Thai and Vietnamese Buddhist communities, as well as distinguished guests from Viet Nam’s side, including (1) Mr. Pham Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; (2) Mr. Tran Xuan Thuy, Deputy Director-General of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs; (3) Ms. Le Thi Dieu Linh, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations; (4) Mr. Tang Phuoc Loc, Deputy Director-General of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions; as well as representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, and the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commitee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

This year’s Royal Kathina offering received contributions from His Majesty the King, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Thai and Vietnamese devotees with total donations amounting to 546,510 Thai Baht and 88,578,000 Vietnamese Dong (total 655,570 Thai Baht).

The National Temple of Vietnam is the headquarters of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in Ho Chi Minh City and the Office of the Supreme Patriarch of the Patronage Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, where the current Supreme Patriarch, Most Venerable Great Elder Thich Tri Quang, serves as abbot. The National Temple of Vietnam was built after the establishment of the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam (UBSV) in 1964 and after peaceful protests by Vietnamese Buddhists against the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) to gain freedom of religion. The construction of the temple was completed on 26 April 1964.

This event marks the 18th Royal Kathina Ceremony organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Viet Nam and is held during a year in which Thailand and Viet Nam elevated bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), the highest level of relations both countries have with any country. It also comes amidst preparations for the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Thailand - Viet Nam diplomatic relations next year.

Since 1995, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has organized the Presentation of the Royal Kathina Robes annually at Buddhist temples abroad as part of Thailand’s cultural diplomacy efforts to strengthen friendship and foster people-to-people ties through Buddhism. The initiative has gradually expanded from neighbouring countries to ASEAN members, South Asia, and East Asia. In 2025, the Royal Kathina Robes are being presented in eight countries - India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and China.

This project is part of the Ministry’s cultural diplomacy implementation to strengthen international relations, especially on a people-to-people level.