Wat
Chùa Sóc Xoài
Chùa Sóc Xoài is a Khmer Theravada Buddhist Wat in Mỹ Thuận commune, An Giang province, Vietnam, and the seat of a Khmer Buddhist school for monks.[1][2]
History
The Wat was founded at the end of the 18th century and has had 19 generations of abbots. During the wars against France and the United States it sheltered members of the resistance. It is a national historical relic. Until the 2025 provincial merger it stood in Sóc Sơn town, Hòn Đất district, in the former Kiên Giang province.[2]
Education
The Wat houses the Khmer Theravada Buddhist intermediate school of the former Kiên Giang province, where more than 200 student monks study each year. Its teaching includes Pali, Sanskrit, the Khmer language and the monastic discipline, and it has also hosted an intermediate law course for monks.[2]
Religious life
As of 2025, the Wat served nearly 1,000 Khmer Buddhists from in and around Hòn Đất. Its festivals include Khmer New Year (Chol Chnam Thmey), Sen Dolta, the festival for ancestors, and Ok Om Bok, the moon festival. On March 26, 2025, the Wat opened a new residence for monks with 28 rooms, built for more than 4.3 billion đồng.[2]
On the morning of October 12, 2025, hundreds of lay followers came to the Wat for the Kathina robe offering. Thượng tọa (Venerable) Danh Phản, vice head of the provincial board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, honored the families who sponsored the offering, and Thượng tọa Danh Nâng, abbot of Chùa Xẻo Cạn, preached on the merit of the Kathina gift.[1]
See also
- Chùa Đay Ta Suốs, a Wat in Cần Thơ also called Chùa Sóc Xoài
- Kathina
- Cambodian New Year
- All organizations