An exhibition showcasing Buddhist artworks and antiques opened on Wednesday as part of celebrations of the upcoming Lunar New Year in HCM City's Pho Quang Pagoda.— VNA/VNS Photo The Anh

HCM CITY (VNS) — An exhibition showcasing Buddhist artworks and antiques opened on Wednesday as part of celebrations of the upcoming Lunar New Year in HCM City's Pho Quang Pagoda.

Xuan Dong Phuong (Oriental Spring) has 300 paintings, photos, sculptures, and antiques, all of them created or owned by more than 30 Vietnamese and foreign artists, collectors, and researchers.

A highlight is a book of sutras in the Khmer language written on buong leaves given by the UNESCO club for Vietnamese antique research and collection.

The mid-19th century book is being exhibited publicly for the first time.

A painting of Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, who burnt himself to death on a Sai Gon street in 1963 to protest persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese regime, by Nguyen Gia Tri, a pioneer in the art of lacquer painting, is also among works on display.

The exhibition, organised by the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha in HCM City, will remain open until February 14 – the 15th day of the first lunar month.

The pagoda is situated at 64/2 Pho Quang Street, Tan Binh District. — VNS