PRAGUE — A Vietnamese pagoda was inaugurated on January 5 in Most, a city in the Ustecky region of the Czech Republic, becoming the local Vietnamese community’s first spiritual cultural centre officially recognised by authorities.

Head of the pagoda, Venerable Thích Thông Đạt, said the inauguration was an honour for expatriate Buddhists in the Czech Republic. It is not only a place of worship but also helps uphold traditional culture and the use of the Vietnamese language in the community, he said.

On behalf of the Ustecky region’s administration, chairman of the region’s council for ethnic minorities Pavel Vodsedalek presented a certificate recognising the cultural centre. He said among local ethnic minority groups, the Vietnamese community has carried out many activities to preserve and introduce its diverse culture.

The newly inaugurated pagoda will enhance the community’s solidarity, pass down cultural values to younger generations and introduce Vietnamese culture to Czech people, he added.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Hồ Minh Tuấn thanked Ustecky authorities for helping the Vietnamese community uphold traditional culture and integrate into the local society.

It was an honour for Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic to have Most pagoda recognised by local authorities, he said, expressing his hope that it will reinforce the community and preserve the culture of Việt Nam.

In 2013, the Czech Republic recognised the Vietnamese community as one of its ethnic minority groups. — VNS