Traditional beliefs

With the perception that every object has a soul, since the ancient time, the Vietnamese has worshiped a large number of gods, especially those related to agriculture such as the sun, the moon, land, mountain, river and forest, etc., for good luck. Each ethnic minority in Vietnam has its own way of practicing belief, which is still maintained by some ethnic groups such as Tay,Thai, Hmong, Dao, Chinese,San Diu, Ngai, Cham, Ede, Gia Rai, Mon and Khmer.

In addition, the most popular and time-honoured custom of the Vietnamese and some ethnic minorities is ancestor worship and commemoration of death anniversaries. Every Vietnamese family has an altar to worship their ancestors and attaches importance to the commemoration of death anniversaries and acknowledgement of the service rendered by the predecessors. Beside ancestor worship in each family and each clan, many villages have a communal house and a temple to worship the village Deity. The custom of worshiping the village Deity and the communal house are the unique features of Vietnamese villages. The village Deity worshiped in the village’s temple or communal house can be a Deity or an outstanding figure that rendered great service such as the forefather of a traditional handicraft or a national hero who recorded glorious feats in national building and in the wars against foreign aggression. The Vietnamese people also worship different gods such as the kitchen god or god of the soil, etc.

Copyright: Ministry of Foreign Affairs