Types Of Religion In Vietnam And Their Effects On Culture

Another prevalent aspect of Vietnamese religious culture is ancestor worship, which is often incorporated into other religious activities by many Vietnamese families. A shrine containing pictures of your grandparents and great-grandparents, together with floral and incense offerings, may be seen in many Vietnamese houses. Worship of former leaders, such as Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Vietnamese Communist Party, is also widespread.

The communist government of Vietnam declared the country to be an atheist state. However, as 95% of Vietnamese people practice a religion or have a belief system, the majority of them are not atheists. Across the nation, there are about 8,500 religious activities held annually. Seven main faiths, including Buddhism, Catholicism, Caodaism, Protestantism, Hoahaoism, and Islam, as well as a number of folk religions, make up the bulk of the religions in Vietnam.

If you want to choose a Vietnam tour package, getting to know Vietnam by studying a little bit about the faiths practiced there will be an essential component.

Without further ado, here is a list of Vietnam's main faiths!

TYPES OF RELIGION IN VIETNAM

Religious Sites

Pagodas and temples are the two different kinds of Buddhist religious sites that may be seen in Vietnam. Pagodas serve as the spiritual residence for Buddhas while temples house monks. The food that Vietnamese monks eat is entirely self-produced; they farm it and prepare it. Some of the country's oldest structures may be found in these locations.

(Take note: Tours may refer to a pagoda as "ancient" even if it was constructed over the ruins of a much older structure that was highly revered.)

It is crucial to be mindful of and respectfully follow the cultural customs of a foreign nation when visiting sacred sites, for instance. Removing one's shoes is customary before entering a temple. Temple architecture has changed to encourage visitors to enter with a spirit of prayer; high bottom doors force people to gaze down as they enter, causing everyone to bend their heads. At the altar, incense is lit by supplicants, and the sticks are usually always stacked in odd numbers. Altars with heaping offerings of fruit, drink, and cookies will be visible.

Vietnam Temples

Vietnamese refers to temples or regular sites of devotion. A large number of monks reside in temples, where they are completely independent and committed to their religion. Intricate constructions that frequently depict legendary heroes and stories, Vietnamese temples provide a venue for their adoration and memory by tourists.

Or you can see some Religious Events at Temples: 

Burials and Cemeteries

Vietnamese cemeteries are scattered across the countryside, and graves are frequently visible on a family's field. In Vietnam, remains are interred for three years in wooden coffins before being removed for a second burial ritual. The family encases the remains in a tiny casket for the second burial.

Families aren't supposed to rely on their family histories anymore. Public cemeteries exist, albeit not all of them are well kept. Some hurriedly built cemeteries, built to bury the numerous war fatalities throughout the 1960s and 1970s, have deteriorated.

Folk Religions

Vietnamese folk religions include adoration of the ancestors, national heroes, and natural gods. In Vietnam, one or more of these numbers are believed by close to half of the population. You will get the opportunity to visit several temples in Vietnam that are dedicated to gods such as the Wind, Forest, Fire, Water, and Ocean Gods. A lot of homes are constructed primarily to provide incense and offerings to a family's ancestors. Even today, the younger generation will organize memorial services to honor and remember the departed on the anniversary of their passing. In addition, reverence is also paid to national heroes like Tran Hung Dao and national inventors like the Hung Kings and Au Co-Lac Long Quan.

Buddhism in Vietnam 

Vietnamese Buddhism is a synthesis of the Mahayana and Theravada schools. Although the former was practiced by the Chams when the Nguyen King seized control of Champa's region, which is the present-day South of Vietnam, both of these branches entered the nation early.

The Indian missionaries who arrived in Vietnam in the first and second centuries brought Buddhism, the country's first non-native religion. Buddhism continued to advance for several decades before becoming the most practiced religion in the nation from the 11th to the 14th century, under the Ly and Tran Dynasties. By this period, several pagodas had been constructed, including the Phap Van Pagoda in the province of Bac Ninh, the Kien So Pagoda in Hanoi, and the Dien Huu One-Pillar Pagoda (Hanoi).

Following this time, Buddhism's growth slowed down; currently, 14% of people worldwide practice this religion. Although Buddhism is not as widely practiced as it once was, Vietnamese customs and beliefs nevertheless have a strong connection to the Buddha's teachings.

Catholicism

When the Westerners explored new regions in the 16th century, Catholicism was brought to Vietnam. The failure of the missionary efforts was due to linguistic and cultural difficulties. The Kings of Vietnam first embraced the religion, but eventually opposed it because they believed the Catholic philosophy may inspire people to idolize Jesus and doubt their authority.

Missionary activity was not once again permitted and even got backing from the Nguyen King until the Vietnam War gave Catholic missionaries an opportunity to acquire influence over the Kings. The Vietnamese Alphabet was also born as a result of the priests' creation of a Romanized dictionary to communicate with the Vietnamese people who used a distinct writing system. This dictionary was essential to the success of Catholic missionary activity.

As Catholicism gained popularity in the early 19th century, several buildings, including the Phat Diem Stone Church, St. Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi, Phu Cam Church in Hue, and Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral (Basilica), were constructed (Ho Chi Minh). With 7% of Vietnamese believers, there are now 26 archdioceses and dioceses.

Even though it is not a national holiday, Western cultural influence and the development of the religion both contribute to Vietnamese perceptions of the holiday as a festive occasion. As long as the family altar does not stand over Jesus' altar and the sacrifice does not promote superstition, Catholics in Vietnam are permitted to burn incense for their ancestors.

Caodaism

It is a native religion that just emerged very recently, around the start of the 20th century. People's need for a religion during the French Revolution against their rulers led to the creation of Caodaism as other religions' adherents fell for political reasons. In Western culture, it is a synthesis of spiritism, taoism, confucianism, and Buddhism. Caodaism has fewer adherents than the other two non-native faiths due to its later establishment; in 2016, it was practiced by roughly 3% of the population. The Mekong Delta provinces of Tay Ninh, Can Tho, Tien Giang, and Hau Giang are where the majority of their organizations are based.

Protestantism

Vietnam didn't adopt Protestantism until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since then, the missionaries have worked hard to evangelize the country of Vietnam's Central Highlands ethnic minorities, particularly in and around the Da Lat region. Even the Bible was translated into the regional tongues.

Hoahaoism

Hoahaoism, also known as Hoa Hao Buddhism, is another of Vietnam's indigenous faiths. In an effort to revive Buddhist preaching in the early 20th century, Hoahaoism was developed. Because of its emphasis on Buddha-following and self-improvement, Hoahaoism might be seen as a subset of Buddhism in Vietnam. In 2016, around 1% of people identified as Hoahaoists, the majority of whom were from Southwest Vietnam.

Islam

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Islam arrived in Southeast Asian nations. The religion, which had two branches, was well-liked in Champa (modern-day Southern Vietnam). The first is the Cham Bani, a blend of Islam and Brahmin that before Islam as the dominant religion in Champa, and the second is Cham Islam, which is comparable to Islam worldwide. The majority of the Cham Bani and Cham Islam adherents are from the Central region of Vietnam, respectively. Vietnamese Muslims make up around 0.1% of the population.

Hinduism

Despite not being one of the 15 religions acknowledged by the Vietnamese government, there is a sizable Hindu population in Vietnam, numbering roughly 85,000 people. Balamon Cham Hindus, who reside in the Vietnamese provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, make up the bulk of this group. According to Cham Hindus, their spirit is transported to the sacred regions of India by the sacred bull Nandi once they pass away. The Cham Hindus in this area celebrate Kate Festival for three days in the beginning of October.

Hindus from India (Tamil) make up a sizable portion of the population of Ho Chi Minh City, where the Mariamman Temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Mariamman and is renowned for its miraculous abilities, is also located.

RELIGIOUS CHANGE'S EFFECTS ON VIETNAM'S CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Traditional rituals and practices in Vietnam are significantly impacted by religious change, both positively and negatively. On the one hand, it helps to revive many admirable national traditions and rituals and alters a group of people's way of life and conduct. On the other hand, it changes and destroys certain traditions and conventions while reviving many outdated ones. As the nation builds and develops in the new era, these effects have brought up several concerns that must be resolved by the Party and the State.

In recent decades, as a result of globalization, religious life throughout the world has become more complex and diverse. The number of religions in the world is continually growing, and major faiths with lengthy histories like Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism, and Buddhism are actively attempting to extend their influence outside of their traditional areas. This has a significant impact on the socio-political life of many nations. The aforementioned changes in the globe have given religious practices across the world new hues and good social effects. The transition has a number of intricate effects on human existence at the same time.

The religious life in this nation has seen substantial changes as a result of the Party and State of Vietnam's religious policy. All facets of religion, including religious practices, communities, and beliefs, are changing in Vietnam. The majority of faiths in Vietnam generally work to widen their social impact. In addition, there are several new religious movements taking place around the nation.

Vietnamese customs and practices have been significantly impacted by changes in religious life in recent years, both positively and negatively.

Positive effects of Religion In Vietnam’s Changing 

Many of the rituals and practices of humane ideals have been revived and are now vividly practiced in social life in the context of thriving religious activities. Examples of traditional Buddhist customs include visiting pagodas at the start of the year, abstaining from food, and releasing animals (tsethar).

A great practice in Vietnamese culture that dates back to ancient times is visiting a pagoda at the beginning of the New Lunar Year. People visit the pagodas after Lunar New Year's Eve (Tet) to offer prayers for a new year filled with harmony, joy, and prosperity for their families. Many large pagodas have been constructed recently, along with the country's development, in all of the provinces and towns. On the day of the full moon and the first day of each month, people also visit temples to worship. Even more individuals visit pagodas and temples during Tet festival. Many people attend pagodas, temples, and places of worship after Lunar New Year's Eve. From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the conclusion of the first lunar month, there is a frantic environment.

The majority of Mahayana Buddhists in Vietnam hold the belief that vegetarianism cultivates a pure mind and compassion for sentient creatures. The word "vegetarianism" (translated as "vegan script" from the original Sanskrit word "Upavasatha," meaning Pure) reflects this belief. Buddhist adherents and vegetarians are becoming more prevalent today. On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, numerous pagodas frequently plan vegetarian feasts to feed devotees in order to suit their demands. As a result of the growing popularity of vegetarian cuisine, there are also many restaurants that serve just vegetarian fare. Even while not all vegetarians in Vietnam currently practice Buddhism, the majority are influenced by it.

The tradition of tsethar, which comes from Chinese Buddhism, also has a deep significance and symbolizes Buddha's compassion and respect for all life. Vietnamese folklore has long been influenced by this practice, which some Buddhist monks have recently expressed a desire to revive.

It can be claimed that visiting pagodas at the start of the year, fasting, and tsethar are lovely traditions preserved in Buddhist activities in Vietnam and help to inform Vietnamese people about the importance of doing good.

In addition, the evolution of Buddhism has had a significant impact on a variety of other traditions and practices. In many provinces and towns around the nation, the practice of young people performing marriage rites at pagodas to heighten sanctity is becoming more popular. Additionally, a monk who prays for the souls of the departed is present at Kinh funerals (the main ethnic group in Vietnam). In addition, traditions like making sacrifices 35 or 49 days following a person's death have become more prevalent in many communities across the nation. If these events are well planned, they will have the effect of addressing certain people's spiritual needs and bringing balance to their spiritual lives. Buddhism enhances the nation's traditional culture in another beautiful way.

The existence of Protestantism and its tenets, rituals, and norms has fundamentally altered the manner of life of its adherents who are members of racial minorities. Some Christians from ethnic minorities have transitioned from polytheistic to monotheistic belief systems, believing exclusively in God. The people's way of life has changed significantly as a result of this shift in mindset. Ethnic minorities who worship religion progressively create a new existence in the society by breaking free from the constraints of obnoxious, expensive ceremonies and outmoded traditions. In fact, the lifestyle of the people has developed progressive aspects such as hygienic living and housing areas, drinking water, clean roads to villages, diminished backward customs, and village boys who do not consume alcohol or smoke in the Northern mountainous region and the Central Highlands region. They no longer believe in worshiping or exercising spirits, preferring to seek medical attention and healing at hospitals instead. Wedding and funeral feasts are shorter in duration, which saves money, and people no longer keep the corpse in the house, which contributes to pollution. Cows and buffaloes don't need to be killed for ceremonies and feasts. Education for children is a growing problem.

Prior to now, ethnic minorities' everyday interactions and exchanges were limited to their communities, lineages, and ethnic groupings. The trading connection has grown to include other clans, communities, and other ethnic groups since converting to Protestantism. Additionally, religious activities provide a setting for believers to learn more about breeding, cultivation, commerce, and trade, as well as to deepen their grasp of these topics and become more actively involved in socioeconomic growth. One may argue that Protestantism has introduced a portion of racial minorities to a new way of life that has had many good effects.

Negative impacts of Religion In Vietnam’s Changing 

Along with beneficial effects, Vietnam's religious transformation has had a substantial detrimental influence on traditional rituals and practices, with repercussions for the country's culture. Along with the thrill of religious life, many outdated habits and behaviors stand a good possibility of coming back into fashion.

Buddhism has seen a progressive distortion and misleading of its practices due to the market economy's influence and the secularization tendency.

Both the practice of tsethar and the tradition of visiting the pagoda at the start of the year have deep humanistic significance. These traditions are currently being followed incorrectly, though. Many individuals no longer care about the origins of these traditions; instead, they follow them formally and in accordance with current trends. Many individuals and families visit the pagoda during the festival season at the beginning of the year to pray for their everyday concerns and material necessities amid noisy crowds. Without understanding its actual significance, people also carry out the tsethar ceremony in accordance with the fashion. Many people visit the pagoda throughout each Yulan season to release caught and resold birds and fish. Thus, following a succession of tsethar rites, birds and fish are not spared but rather repeatedly murdered.

Additionally, religious developments have created marketplaces for many kinds of spiritual services, which are seen in the active activities of Buddhism. Votives, safety prayers, warding off evils, making incense burners, and giving out helpful house and kitchen directions are just a few of the busy services that have proliferated and cost the community money. In certain locations, harmful activities are replacing Buddhist practices, which has a highly detrimental effect on societal life. Recent events have had a significant impact on Buddhism and society, like the phenomena of making offerings in some pagodas in the North to remove one's bad luck or the phenomenon of preventing a spirit from returning to exact revenge in the Ba Vang pagoda.

Funeral rites for some groups of people have also been discovered; these rituals are quite laborious and expensive, involving numerous steps such as selecting the day and time, removing bad luck from the funeral, setting up a requiem, and worshiping with the expensive help of Buddhist monks. A burial ceremony conducted by the pagoda costs 150 million VND; the service of "leading the spirit" has been developed in Hai Phong city for over 10 years with extremely sophisticated Buddhist involvement.

The Catholic religion of Vietnamese people is now experiencing certain changes as well as some detrimental repercussions on people's daily lives. The Holy Mary and the saints, according to Christian faith, serve as a bridge between Christians and God rather than having the authority to bestow blessings. However, the Holy Mary has long been hailed by Vietnamese Catholics as the Blessed Mother, to whom they have unending devotion. Some Catholics in Vietnam have recently developed a tendency to worship the Virgin Mary excessively and superstitiously.

The emergence and influence of Protestantism on traditional rituals and practices of Vietnamese ethnic minorities has had the greatest detrimental effects on Vietnamese customs and traditions. Their old practices' many positive aspects have been weakened or perhaps eliminated. For instance, one of the traditional beliefs and the thread that ties together all family members, lineages, and the community for the Mong people is the practice of sacrifice rituals such as ancestor worship, communal deity worship, and lineages. The aforementioned ceremonies were, however, fully replaced with religious rites among the Protestant Mong people owing to theological differences. Only 4.4% of Hmong people in the Northwest who embrace Protestantism still engage in ancestor worship rites, according to recent survey findings; up to 95.6% do not. Additionally, the Mong people celebrate a variety of unique traditional holidays, including the Gau Tao Festival, the Nao cong and Nao song Festivals, and the Thanksgiving Ceremony (during which appreciation is shown to one's parents and ancestors) (homeowners pray for children, the community prays for bumper harvests, and the girls and boys pray for marriage). Quite a few distinctive cultural values are also present in Mong festivals, however only 6.1% of Mong people who practice a religion still take part in them nowadays.

A situation resembling that of the Northwest area happened in the Central Highlands. The majority of ethnic minorities totally severed links to their traditional cultures during the early era when they abandoned them in favor of Protestantism. This led to cultural ruptures, the fading of ethnic cultural identity, and the progressive loss of Central Highlands identity.

A variety of religious phenomena that have emerged in recent decades, in addition to the influence of changing faiths like Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestantism, have a considerable impact on traditions and rituals.

It validates and celebrates the cultural values of the populace that more and more religious phenomena associated with the worship of the Hung Kings, the worship of President Ho Chi Minh, and the worship of national superstars are emerging, but it also negatively affects culture, traditions, and social ethics. The removal of ancestral altars by adherents of the aforementioned religious phenomena in some communities has led to disputes and a loss of lineage unity.

The growth of anti-cultural and cruel religious phenomena, in particular, in the trend of new religious phenomena, has severely bad effects on national culture, morals, and traditions. Examples include the once-common Toc Pha religious group in Thuan Chau, Son La province, or Chan Khong in Luu Van Ty. New religious phenomena like Ha mon and Ami sa ri, which have various superstitious expressions in the Central Highlands, are currently having a harmful impact on the social and cultural lives of ethnic minorities. Or more recently, concerns about the detrimental impacts of new religious phenomena on culture, customs, religion, and traditional national virtue in the new time have been raised by the growth of the Church of God the Mother in numerous provinces and cities across the nation. The recent behavior of a group of individuals engaging in an odd religious phenomena, which resulted in the deaths of two people in Binh Duong, also demonstrates that the new religious phenomenon negatively impacts societal order and safety in addition to traditional culture, customs, and morality.

SUMMARY OF AN OVERVIEW OF RELIGION IN VIETNAM

Despite the fact that Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism have been in Vietnam for a very long time, there are still other faiths that have had an effect on local customs and have worship centers all across the country. You can see stunning religious structures in Vietnam, such as temples, pagodas, and churches, but you can also experience firsthand how Vietnamese culture is influenced by religion.

If you are interested in exploring tales and religions in Vietnam, check out Modoho to visit religious sites and learn the locals' stories.