For years he has travelled the country barefoot, from north to south, feeding on alms and sleeping in the forests. A eulogy of religious devotion through the 13 ascetic practices of ‘Dhutanga’. Hostilised by official Buddhism, the monk is ‘tolerated’ by the government and exalted by people of all faiths who follow him on social media.
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Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng wrote to the pontiff inviting him to visit the country. The announcement was made by the government's Committee for Religious Affairs during the president’s pre-Christmas visit to the Archdiocese of Huế, where the shrine of La Vang is located. Vietnamese Catholics have been waiting for this for a long time.