Vietnamese American Buddhist Association
1400 Madison Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011

The association was incorporated in 1975 and has operated as a Buddhist Association since. Monthly and special religious commemorative meeting were held. Some of the religious commemorative occasions were Buddha's Birthday, Enlightenment, Death, the Vassa, The Visakha, and The Katrina. On those occasions, the members met at different locations, such as the Washington Vihara on 16th street.

The members, in 1978, decided to expand by inviting a Buddhist reverend. The association president, Mrs. Lee T. Nghiem, contacted Venerable Khippapanno Kim Trieu. He studied in India and taught meditation in India and Nepal for more than 17 years. Venerable Khippapano agreed to come and arrived during October, 1981. That is, after the association had a vigorous fight with the immigration office to obtain a permanent visa for him.

In 1982, with great effort from all, the members built their first Theravadan Temple at 1400 Madison Street, NW in Washington DC. The new headquarters was incorporated as listed above.

The abbot frequently performs religious services at the temple or at private residences. These services include wedding blessings, blessings for the sick and blessings for deceased disciples. Classes on the Dhamma and Pali are regularly organized. The monthly news bulletin, "The Golden Light" was started in 1976 is now issued every third month for a lack of personnel. Of late, the Venerable Khippapanno Kim is very busy as he expands his continuous teachings of the Dhamma and meditation in various states as well as in Vietnam. The association is active in fundraising to help religious Buddhist establishments and needy people in many countries.