The monk who burned himself in protest was **Thích Quảng Đức**, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk. He famously self-immolated on June 11, 1963, in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam.
His act was a protest against the oppressive policies of the South Vietnamese government under President **Ngô Đình Diệm**, which heavily favored Catholicism and discriminated against Buddhists. The iconic photograph of Thích Quảng Đức sitting calmly in meditation as flames engulfed him captured global attention and highlighted the plight of Buddhists in Vietnam.
His self-immolation became a powerful symbol of resistance and religious freedom, significantly influencing international opinions about the Vietnam War and the Diệm regime.

Quảng Đức's last words before his self-immolation were documented in a letter he had left:
"Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngô Đình Diệm to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism."

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