Giác Hải and Liên Hoa Pagodas, Bình Thuận 2026: Two Distributions in One Day

On March 14, 2026, the Compassionate Hands team gave out gifts at Giác Hải and Liên Hoa Pagodas in sun-baked Bình Thuận before heading up to the Central Highlands.

On March 14, 2026, the Compassionate Hands Foundation team (Hội Từ Thiện Bàn Tay Nhân Ái) left Vũng Tàu and entered Bình Thuận, where it gave out gifts at two pagodas in one day: Giác Hải Pagoda first and Liên Hoa Pagoda after a lunch break. Bình Thuận greeted the team with sand, sea, fierce sun and strong wind.

Giác Hải Pagoda and the coastal villagers

People here live off the sea and are used to burning sun and hard wind. The name Giác Hải recalls the deep sea of awakening. When the team arrived, villagers were already seated in neat rows, quiet, without noise or hurry.

Venerable Thích Minh Nhựt, the group leader, stood before them. According to the narrator, this is also his home region, so he understands how hard the days of hauling nets and fishing in sun and wind can be. The foundation wants to help the villagers and give students a better chance of getting to school. It had not been able to visit for quite some time because conditions did not allow it, but it had not forgotten this land, and that is why the team came back. He also said that one gift ticket, or even thousands, could hardly share all the villagers' hardship, but the foundation would do its best within its means.

Faces at the distribution

The camera caught many scenes: backs bent by years of hard work, trembling hands holding gift tickets with great care, disabled people who still made the effort to come. There were small children in patched shirts, with clear eyes, not yet aware of all the difficulty around them. Seeing this, team members said little and simply worked faster and gave more. Someone from the team sang in the pagoda yard, a song about kindness and smiling.

Liên Hoa Pagoda among the dragon fruit farms

After Giác Hải, the bus passed dragon fruit orchards and green fields, then crossed a bridge to Liên Hoa Pagoda. The pagoda is still being built. The team arrived early and had lunch there, but in the harsh sun nobody thought of resting. One person rolled up their sleeves, then the whole team joined in arranging the goods, with no one assigning tasks.

After a short break, villagers began to gather despite the oppressive heat. Ethnic Chinese, Cham and Kinh people sat under the same pagoda roof and received gifts together.

A monk from the team shared his joy at seeing the main hall nearly finished. He recalled coming here almost 20 years earlier, when the pagoda still had its old main hall.

The greatest joy we have is seeing the pagoda nearly finished. About 90 percent of the main hall is done, very spacious and beautiful.

Monk from the team, speaking at Liên Hoa Pagoda

He added that building a main hall in a remote area, where most villagers are poor, takes a great deal of effort. He congratulated the abbess, the nuns and the Buddhists, so that in the future they will have a more comfortable place to practice and can hold more retreats.

Bicycles loaded with rice, and a new wheelchair

Under the blazing sun, team members kept handing out gifts without rest, smiles still on their faces. After receiving theirs, many people tied rice, noodles and blankets onto old bicycles and walked them home very slowly, as if afraid to drop something precious.

One scene made the whole team fall silent: a motorbike loaded heavily, with a newly donated wheelchair, and behind it an elderly disabled person preparing to go home. Team members helped arrange his belongings firmly and stood watching until the motorbike was out of sight before they felt at ease.

Two pagodas in one day, and the climb to the Central Highlands

The Bình Thuận trip closed after a long day, two pagodas and two rounds of giving. Then the bus left the coast and began climbing mountain passes toward the Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên), the next stop.