Which Buddhist monk self-immolated in Saigon on June 11, 1963?

Thích Quảng Đức was the Buddhist monk who self-immolated in Saigon on June 11, 1963. Born Lâm Văn Túc, he was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk and abbot of Phước Hòa Pagoda.

His death occurred during the Buddhist crisis, a period of conflict between Buddhist activists and the government of South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm. Protesters opposed discriminatory policies and restrictions on Buddhist religious expression, including a ban on displaying the Buddhist flag after authorities had permitted Catholic flags at public events.

Quảng Đức arrived at a busy Saigon intersection in a procession of monks and nuns. His self-immolation was witnessed by journalists David Halberstam and Malcolm Browne. Browne’s photograph spread internationally and became one of the most recognizable images of the Vietnam War.

The act intensified pressure on Diệm’s government and inspired further self-immolations. It also deepened the crisis that ended with a military coup and Diệm’s assassination in November 1963. Thích Nhat Hanh was another prominent monk, but he was not the monk who died at that intersection.