Emerging from the two long and severe wars, Vietnam has developed rapidly in the national reform, people’s lives have been improved both materially and spiritually.
On the occasion of Vietnam standing for election to the UN HumanRights Council, the Vietnam News Agency introduces some articles onbeliefs and religions of the Vietnamese. These articles hope to providean accurate and updated overview of the freedom to practice one’s ownbeliefs in the land with a thousand-year-old culture.
Eversince the primitive time, beliefs and religions have become aninseparapable part of the Vietnamese’s spiritual life, as seen in thecarving of rituals of worship on bronze drums dating back to the DongSon civilisation (the 7 th - 1 st century BC).
By 2010, thecountry had 32 religious organisations whose operations were licensed bythe State, with about 15.5 million followers, accounting for 18 percentof the total population. However, the number of unofficial followers ismuch higher, not to mention those practise folk beliefs.
Basedon the number of followers, main religions in Vietnam includeBuddhism, with both Mahayana and Hinayana branches with about 6.8million followers, Catholicism (5.7 million), Hoa Hao sect (1.4million), Cao Dai sect (808,000), Protestantism (734,000), Islam(73,000) and Balamon (56,000). There are also a wide range of folkbeliefs which bear deep local characteristics and are usually mixed withanother religion. Some statistics show that up to 98 percent ofVietnamese families practise some kind of worship at home.
Living for a long time in a land which is the meeting place of many bigcivilisations, the Vietnamese are open to receive different kinds ofbelief and adopt them into their own traditional spiritual activities.Cultural researcher Phan Ngoc described this phenomenon as a“refraction” of new elements based on “ Vietnam ’s cultural constant”.Beliefs and religions in Vietnam not only have a wide diversity interms of origin, history of develpoment, and ritual forms but also have ahigh adaptability.
Therefore, ensuring the right to freedom of beliefs and harmony among religions has alwaysbeen the most important task of the Vietnamese State, especiallyin the context of integration when different cultures are getting closerand closer.
During the very first meeting of theprovisional Government on September 3, 1945 , only one day after thedeclaration of national independence, President Ho Chi Minh proposed theprinciple of “freedom of beliefs and solidarity between believers andnon-believers”. He affirmed that the founders of great religions allshared the common purpose of upholding the good and direct people to anequal and free life and a world community. It is also the supreme goalof the Vietnamese revolution.
The very first point of view of the Ho Chi Minh era has become a guideline for the Vietnamese Party and State’s religious policy over the past seven decades, which has been emphasised at every Party Congress and stipulated in all four Constitutions.
Together with socio-economic achievements in the cause of nationalreform, people’s cultural life, including religious activities, havebecome richer and richer, from traditional rituals and festivals tointernational events.
The decision to stand for election to theUN Human Rights Council once again reflects Vietnam ’s strongcommitment to ensuring the basic rights of people, including religiousfreedom, contributing to efforts to build a world of equality andhappiness. -VNA
(Next episode: Worshipping the Four Immortals – Vietnam’s unique belief ).
On the occasion of Vietnam standing for election to the UN HumanRights Council, the Vietnam News Agency introduces some articles onbeliefs and religions of the Vietnamese. These articles hope to providean accurate and updated overview of the freedom to practice one’s ownbeliefs in the land with a thousand-year-old culture.
Eversince the primitive time, beliefs and religions have become aninseparapable part of the Vietnamese’s spiritual life, as seen in thecarving of rituals of worship on bronze drums dating back to the DongSon civilisation (the 7 th - 1 st century BC).
By 2010, thecountry had 32 religious organisations whose operations were licensed bythe State, with about 15.5 million followers, accounting for 18 percentof the total population. However, the number of unofficial followers ismuch higher, not to mention those practise folk beliefs.
Basedon the number of followers, main religions in Vietnam includeBuddhism, with both Mahayana and Hinayana branches with about 6.8million followers, Catholicism (5.7 million), Hoa Hao sect (1.4million), Cao Dai sect (808,000), Protestantism (734,000), Islam(73,000) and Balamon (56,000). There are also a wide range of folkbeliefs which bear deep local characteristics and are usually mixed withanother religion. Some statistics show that up to 98 percent ofVietnamese families practise some kind of worship at home.
Living for a long time in a land which is the meeting place of many bigcivilisations, the Vietnamese are open to receive different kinds ofbelief and adopt them into their own traditional spiritual activities.Cultural researcher Phan Ngoc described this phenomenon as a“refraction” of new elements based on “ Vietnam ’s cultural constant”.Beliefs and religions in Vietnam not only have a wide diversity interms of origin, history of develpoment, and ritual forms but also have ahigh adaptability.
Therefore, ensuring the right to freedom of beliefs and harmony among religions has alwaysbeen the most important task of the Vietnamese State, especiallyin the context of integration when different cultures are getting closerand closer.
During the very first meeting of theprovisional Government on September 3, 1945 , only one day after thedeclaration of national independence, President Ho Chi Minh proposed theprinciple of “freedom of beliefs and solidarity between believers andnon-believers”. He affirmed that the founders of great religions allshared the common purpose of upholding the good and direct people to anequal and free life and a world community. It is also the supreme goalof the Vietnamese revolution.
The very first point of view of the Ho Chi Minh era has become a guideline for the Vietnamese Party and State’s religious policy over the past seven decades, which has been emphasised at every Party Congress and stipulated in all four Constitutions.
Together with socio-economic achievements in the cause of nationalreform, people’s cultural life, including religious activities, havebecome richer and richer, from traditional rituals and festivals tointernational events.
The decision to stand for election to theUN Human Rights Council once again reflects Vietnam ’s strongcommitment to ensuring the basic rights of people, including religiousfreedom, contributing to efforts to build a world of equality andhappiness. -VNA
(Next episode: Worshipping the Four Immortals – Vietnam’s unique belief ).
