Vietnamese Open First Buddhist Temple in Czech Republic

January 24, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Prague Daily Monitor/ÄŒTK

http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/258/czech_national_news/17592/

The first Buddhist temple in the Czech Republic has been opened in Varnsdorf, north Bohemia, on the initiative of the local Vietnamese community, the daily Pravo wrote Wednesday.

The local Vietnamese have even had gold-plated statues and a Buddhist monk transported from Taiwan, the paper writes.

"It is a big event for us because Buddhism is not only a religion but also a part of our culture," the Vietnamese initiator, who has lived in the Czech Republic for 15 years, told the paper.

He added he had not noticed any negative reaction from local Czech residents.