Published:  00:00 Thursday - March 04, 2010

On March 4, 1,000 Vietnamese entrepreneurs joined a crowd of 3,000 people at Bai Dinh pagoda, the largest in Southeast Asia, to pray for the country’s peace and development.

Besides praying for peace, the entrepreneurs offered incense to the Temples of Kings Dinh, Le, and Ly, and planted 1,000 Bodhi Trees in a large garden in front of the pagoda, in emulation of late President Ho Chi Minh.

Bai Dinh, part of the former capital of Hoa Lu, was chosen for the prayer ceremony because it is closely associated with many momentous events of the nation’s history.

One millennium ago, King Dinh Tien Hoang conducted a ceremony at Bai Dinh pagoda to pray for good weather. In 1789, Emperor Quang Trung observed a ceremony at the same pagoda before routing the Chinese Qing invaders to liberate the capital city of Thang Long (now Hanoi).