Source: Beliefnet.com/Deutsche Presse-Agentur

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/159/story_15950_1.html

On January 12, 2005 Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported, "Exiled Buddhist leader Thich Nhat Hanh set foot in Vietnam Wednesday for the first time in nearly 40 years...The monk has an international following among Buddhists in the United States and France where he has monasteries. The author of more than 80 books is described by his followers as the leading proponent of 'engaged Buddhism,' a way of life and a spiritual practice that works actively in the world to relieve suffering. In 1967 Martin Luther King nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to try and end the Vietnam War. But the same year he was exiled from his homeland by Vietnamese authorities. He continued to push for peace in Vietnam and led a Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. His return to the country is seen by some as an attempt by Vietnam to brush up its tarnished image on religious tolerance."