Om Birla visits Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi [Vietnam], April 21 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is on his 3-day visit to Vietnam on Thursday paid a visit to the famed Tran Quoc Pagoda located in Hanoi.
The Lok Sabha Speaker who is leading a 13-member Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the south-east Asian country began his visit on Wednesday.
On the first day of his visit, Birla held bilateral meetings with Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue.
"IPD led by @loksabhaspeaker @ombirlakota visited famous Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi today," Lok Sabha tweeted today.
Birla paid his tribute to the Bodhi tree which was gifted by India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad to President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam in the year 1959 and planted in the Tran Quoc Pagoda here.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also sought blessings from the Standing Vice Chairman of Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Association, Thich Thanh Nhieu.
In a series of tweets, Birla said that he was "feeling blessed at Tran Quoc Pagoda of Vietnam."
"The sacred Bodhi tree in the Pagoda, which has been preserved meticulously, continues to instil and strengthen faith among devotees. It was presented to President Ho Chi Minh by our first President Dr Rajendra Prasad," Birla said.
"Experienced divine serenity amidst wonderful spiritual atmosphere at the Pagoda. Sought blessings and guidance of respected Thich Thanh Nhieu, Standing Vice Chairman of Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Association and other monks of the Sangha." Om Birla added.
Birla said he had a interaction with the Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and discussed the rapid growth of the Indo-Vietnam defense partnership in areas like the defense industry, maritime security, capacity building programs, and UN peacekeeping.