The Dharma Gate visited Vietnam

The 2025 UN Emergency Summit was held in Vietnam at the Vietnamese Buddhist University in Ho Chi Minh City, with approximately 1,200 participants from more than 80 countries.

During the three-day event, Buddhist religious and secular leaders, policy makers, and researchers shared their thoughts on Buddhism’s practical responses to global crises: they exchanged ideas on the concepts of human dignity, unity and acceptance, and ways to create a more peaceful and sustainable world in keynote speeches and a scientific conference. The Dharma Gate Buddhist College was represented at the event by Rector Gábor Karsai, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Péter Győri, student Fruzsina Krisztin, and former student János Pöltl. Dr. Tibor Baloghdi, Hungary’s ambassador to Vietnam, also attended the event. The college’s leadership and staff from the Hungarian embassy discussed future joint programs over dinner.

In his speech, Gábor Karsai emphasized Buddhism’s role in promoting peace: the ideas of nonviolence, right speech and action, and boundless compassion. From a Buddhist perspective, sustainability is rooted in conscious living, respect for nature, and ethical economic development. Enlightenment is not only a spiritual goal, but also entails social and environmental responsibility. The closing appeal of his speech encouraged everyone—political leaders, religious communities, educators, and individuals—to participate in creating a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world through compassion, ethical living, and mindful presence. In addition to his presentation at the forum, the rector of the college also led a panel discussion at the conference.

As the closing event of the UN Veszák 2025, more than 2,000 domestic and international delegates gathered at Bà Đen Mountain in Tay Ninh Province for a candlelight ceremony that conveyed a message of peace and compassion. During the event, 108 sacred bodhi tree saplings were planted as symbols of enlightenment. The tree representing Hungary was planted by Rector Gábor Karsai.

As part of the trip, the college delegation, accompanied by VINABUDH, the Buddhist community of Vietnamese living in Hungary, also visited a recently discovered memorial site of great significance from a Hungarian perspective, the stupa erected in 1972 in Vũng Tàu in honor of Sándor Kőrösi Csoma with the support of Roy C. Alexander. Alexander, in honor of Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, in the city of Vũng Tàu. The stupa was renovated in 2024 by the Vietnamese provincial authorities at the personal request of Dr. Tibor Baloghdi, Hungary’s ambassador to Vietnam.