Religion and Belief in Vietnam
Buddhism
Buddhism was first introduced to
Vietnam in the 2nd century, and reached its peak in the Ly dynasty
(11th century). It was the regarded as official religion domination
court affairs. Buddhism was preached broadly among the population and it
enjoyed a profound influence on people’s daily life. Its influence also left
marks in various areas of traditional literature and architecture. As such,
many pagodas and temples were built during this time.
At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism
began to show signs of decline. The ideological influence of Buddhism, however,
remained very strong in social and cultural life. Presently, over 70 percent of
the population of Vietnam are either Buddhist
or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices.
Catholicism
Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam
in the 17th century. At present the most densely – populated
Catholic areas are Bui Chu – Phat Diem in the northern province of Ninh Binh
and Ho Nai – Bien Hoa in Dong Nai province to the south. About 10 percent of
the population are considered Catholic.
Protestantism
Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam
at the same time as Catholicism. Protestantism, however, remains an obscure religion.
At present most Protestants live in the Central Highlands. There is still a
Protestant church remaining on Dang Da Street in Hanoi. The number of
Protestants living in Vietnam is estimated at 400,000.
Islam
Islamic followers in Vietnam are
primarily from the Cham ethnic minority group living in the central part of the
central coast. The number of Islamic followers in Vietnam totals about 50,000.
Caodaism
Caodaism was first introduced to
the country in 1926. Settlements of the Cao Dai followers in South Vietnam are
located near the Church in Tay Ninh. The number of followers of this sect is
estimated at 2 million.
Hoa Hao sect
The Hoa Hao Sect was first
introduced to Vietnam in 1939. More than 1 million Vietnamese are followers of
this sect. Most of them live in the south-west of Vietnam.
Mother Worship (Tho Mau)
Researchers describe the Vietnamese
mother-worship cult as a primitive religion. Mother (Me in Vietnamese) is
pronounced Mau in Sino-script. The mother worship cult might be originated from
the cult of the Goddess in ancient ages. In the Middle Ages, the Mother was
worshipped in temples and palaces. Due to the fact that it is a worshipping
custom and not a religion, the mother worshipping cult has not been organized
as Buddhism and Catholicism have. As the results, the different affiliations of
the cult have yet to be consistent and different places still have different
customs.
The custom of Mother worship originated from the
north. In the south, the religion has integrated the local goddesses such as
Thien Y A Na (Hue) and Linh Son (Tay Ninh).
In fact, the Mother worship cult was influenced by
other religions, mainly Taoism.