The award ceremony for the Goodwill Ambassador Medal, presented by the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, was recently held at Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi. Venerable Thich Duc Thien currently serves as Vice President and General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

According to Kanat Tumysh, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Vietnam, Venerable Thich Duc Thien is the fourth person globally to be honored with the Goodwill Ambassador Medal.

The award is conferred by the Secretariat of the Congress to recognize the Venerable’s outstanding efforts in fostering interfaith dialogue, promoting peace and tolerance, and developing cultural diplomacy between nations.

The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is held every three years in Astana, Kazakhstan. Initiated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the event aims to foster mutual understanding among religious leaders and support cooperation in addressing global social, cultural, and religious issues.

This event marks not only a significant personal achievement for Venerable Thich Duc Thien, but also reflects the international community's appreciation for the growing role of Vietnamese Buddhism in global forums dedicated to peace, humanitarian causes, and sustainable development.

In recent years, Venerable Thich Duc Thien has contributed extensively to major international engagements of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

Most notably, he played a central role in the 4th United Nations Day of Vesak 2025, held from May 6 to 8 in Ho Chi Minh City. The event attracted international delegates from 85 countries and territories.

Continuously providing updates to the media during the Vesak celebration, Venerable Thich Duc Thien emphasized, “International friends attending this event can witness firsthand the real-life practice of religious freedom in Vietnam, as well as the equality among religions in Vietnamese society. It affirms our strong commitment to consistently implementing the Vietnamese Party and State’s policies on religious freedom, while countering false narratives.”

Earlier, in 2018, Venerable Thich Duc Thien became the first Vietnamese citizen to receive the prestigious Padma Shri award from the Government of India. This medal honors individuals for outstanding achievements in fields such as science, literature, arts, education, healthcare, social work, diplomacy, engineering, industry, and commerce.

In that year, 85 individuals were awarded the Padma Shri, including 16 recipients who were not Indian nationals.

Binh Minh