Hanoi, Vietname - The 86-year-old patriarch of a banned Buddhist sect in Vietnam has been released from a Ho Chi Minh City hospital after being treated for heart and lung problems, his deputy said on Tuesday. Thich Huyen Quang, head monk of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), is now recovering in Giac Hoa pagoda after being treated for two weeks.
"He's in good health now, clear-headed and he can move around on his own," said Quang's deputy, Thich Quang Do, who escorted the patriarch to the pagoda on Monday along with 30 other monks.
Do said that he had been allowed to visit Quang several times since the patriarch was transferred to a Ho Chi Minh City hospital from central Binh Dinh province where he lives.
"We don't talk about any church issues, just focused on the patriarch's health," Do said.
Both monks have been under police supervision since 2003, when they attempted to hold a nationwide congress of the church's monks.
The UBCV is not recognized by Vietnam's communist government, which insists all religions be governed by the state, a requirement rejected by Thich Huyen Quang.