From June 11 to 13 (lunar dates 16–18/5), An Hòa Tự in An Giang Province welcomed tens of thousands of pilgrims celebrating the 86th Anniversary of Hoa Hao Buddhism, founded by Đức Huỳnh Giáo Chủ (Huỳnh Phú Sổ). Devotees from across southern Vietnam gathered in search of spiritual renewal and community connection.

The event featured over 200 free vegan food stations, run by Hoa Hao Buddhist volunteers, offering thousands of meals daily. More than a religious gathering, the celebration reflected the movement’s enduring values of compassion, service, and solidarity.

The Hoa Hao community continues to play an active role in social welfare, with long-standing efforts in charity kitchens, herbal clinics, education support, and aid for the underprivileged across the country.

Since its inception, Anchay TV has captured and promoted these regional pilgrimages as symbols of Vietnam’s compassionate culture. In early coverage dating back to 2023–2024, Anchay TV featured small but powerful stories of families making the journey from remote towns to An Hoa Tu for vegetarian practice and reflection.

This Congress, the channel provided:

• Live broadcasts of key ceremonies and activities

• On-site interviews with monks, volunteers, and pilgrims

• Photo documentation of the event’s massive vegetarian meal offerings and religious rituals

• Real-time updates on social media platforms
  

You might think that waiting to get a vegetarian meal in a crowd would be difficult and chaotic? No need to worry about that anymore — everywhere you turn, there are volunteers carrying trays of food, warmly inviting you with a smile: ‘Here, take a meal, dear!

🍱 Free Plant-Based Meals for the Masses

Volunteers and local organizers prepared and served hundreds of thousands of free vegetarian meals each day to accommodate the needs of the overwhelming crowd.

Creativity, Connectivity, Responsibility.

🙏 From Local Faith to National Movement

The foundation laid by these smaller pilgrimages set the stage for the 2025 milestone event, which officially gathered over 1.5 million people and became the largest vegetarian spiritual assembly in Vietnam’s recorded history.

What started as a humble, regionally-focused event has now become a national (and potentially international) inspiration for plant-based unity, spiritual coexistence, and mindful living.

Reflections from Organizers

“We’ve watched this movement grow naturally over the years,” said a representative from the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church, “and Anchay TV has been a bridge — helping document and share our vision with the broader world.”

🛤️ Looking Forward

Organizers and spiritual leaders now envision An Giang as a long-term vegetarian pilgrimage hub, where faith, food, and compassion merge in harmony every year.

Anchay TV plans to produce a documentary series tracing the evolution of these gatherings, spotlighting untold stories and moments that shaped this spiritual movement.

What happened in June 2025 was not simply a mass event. It was the natural blooming of seeds planted years before, in the hearts of pilgrims from the South, in the humble vegetarian meals shared on temple grounds, and in the dreams of those who believed that compassion could gather millions.

An Giang has become more than a province — it is now a symbol.

Find images for the event yourself.

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