A conference is held by the Executive Board of the VFF committee to review Buddhist affairs last year and map out orientations for 2021. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – HCM City’s Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee has expressed its appreciation of the southern city’s Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s active engagement in local COVID-19 response over the last year, Standing Vice Chairman of the committee Nguyen Thanh Trung told a conference on January 26.

The conference was held by the Executive Board of the VFF committee to review Buddhist affairs last year and map out orientations for 2021.

Trung said the VBS proved itself an important VFF member and became a symbol of national unity.

Recognising its achievements in Buddhist affairs in 2020, he also praised the VBS for proactively supporting the city in combating COVID-19 and joining humanitarian, charitable, and social welfare programmes.

Such efforts have helped inspire and promote patriotism and consolidate the national great unity while contributing to developing HCM City as a civilised, modern city with a good quality of life, he said.

The conference approved plans that contain 28 specific programmes for this year. One is to organise a grand celebration of the 40th anniversary of the VBS and district-level congresses. Others include maintaining Buddhist activities while standing ready to deal with COVID-19, and educating and campaigning Buddhist monks and nuns to become involved in environmental protection and climate change response.

The HCM City VBS held charitable events last year totaling nearly 626 billion VND (27 million USD)./.

VNA