The Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam[a] was founded in 1964 as a Buddhist organization in Vietnam. It was banned by the government of Vietnam in 1981. It continues to operate in exile outside Vietnam.[1]
History
The Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam was founded in 1964 to unify 11 of the 14 different sects of Vietnamese Buddhism which were present in South Vietnam at the time. The unification also came in response to the Diệm government's increasing hostility against Buddhists during the Vietnam War.[2]
The UBSV's patriarchs Thích Huyền Quang, and Thích Quảng Độ were under house arrest due to their opposition to strict government control of religion, which was established after the communists won the war in 1975.[3]
In 1981, six years after the communist victory, the new government consolidated all Buddhist organizations under the umbrella group Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam and placed it under government control. The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and all other non-sanctioned organizations were banned within Vietnam. The UBSV continues to operate in exile outside Vietnam.[4]
