ASEAN is an international organization of cultural diversity. This

diversity is seen from the existence of various culture among its
member countries. One example of this is Thailand, which has a
culture influenced by Buddhist value. Comparing to VietNam’s
culture, Buddhism in Thailand has some distinct similarities and
differences.
First of all, Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions and
originated 2,500 years ago in India. Thai Buddhism also comes from
India, but is the result of many influences, such as the Theravada
school from Sri Lanka, folk religion, and other Buddhist schools from
the rest of Asia. Thailand is home to the second largest Buddhist
population of more than 63 million, only after China which has the
largest Buddhist population in the world. The main manifestation of
Buddhism in Thailand are the wats, the most important places of all
the major cities, where both Buddhists and tourist gather to pray or
to admire the stunning architecture and the fascinating Buddha
images.
 Thai wats

The country is dotted with more than 41000 Buddhist temples and
monasteries which house around 350,000 monks. Visitors will find
daily reminders of Buddhism during their travels, from towering
temples found along the Chao Phraya River to spirit houses
protecting buildings and more across the country.
One specific feature in Thai’s Buddhism is the monks. Monks in
Thailand. Monks are the officiants of ceremonies and are responsible
for conveying the teaching of the Buddha. Many monks start when
they are just 8 years old, serving as temple boys. This way, they gain
a basic education about Buddhism and the scriptures. They then
become novices, and after one or two years, they can receive
upasampada, the higher ordination.Lots of men decide to become
monks for a vassa (a rainy season). Some remain monks after the
first vassa, for about two years, and a part of those never return to
the secular life. A period spent as a monk is required for many
positions of leadership.Monks are usually specialized in scholarship
or meditation. Those specialized in scholarship, travel to education
centers to keep studying the scriptures, and some of them rise up in
the ecclesiastic hierarchy.

There is no doubt that there are a wide range of Buddhist

holidays and festivals in Thailand and these days populate the
calendar. Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day and Asahna Bucha
Day are the three most important Buddhist holidays. Thailand has
declared all of them to be national holidays. Government offices are
closed on these dates, despite the fact that banks and many other
companies are open. There are temporary limits on alcohol sales, as
well as the closure of entertainment venues in some locations.
Makha Bucha Day
Visakha Bucha Day
 Asahna Bucha Day

In view of some aspects, there are some obvious similarities

and differences between Thai and Vietnam’s Buddhism. Considering
the similarities, Buddhism is believed to be the most popular religion
in both Vietnam and Thailand. It has a great impact on the thinking
and behaviour of people. It brings inner peace and good mental
health. Buddhism emphasises practising control over your greed, lust
and anger, making you very peaceful, enlightened and calm.. It
further highlighted the necessity of having the correct views, desires,
speech, conduct, livelihood, effort and mindfulness. In regard to the
differences, they are mostly concerned with the origins where the
original religion started. The majority of Vietnamese followers
practice Mahāyāna majority due to Chinese influence while Thailand
follows Theravāda Buddhist. Generally speaking, Buddism have
become an indispensable part in Thailand and Vietnamese people’s
spiritual life and make a great contribution to ASEAN’s cultural
diversity.
In summary, Buddhism plays a huge role in Thai society as well
as in the development of the region’s culture.