Viet Religion

As my friends and I ventured toward the Mekong River one day, we stopped at a temple in a small nearby village. This temple is apparently host to a polytheistic religion where worshipers recognize seven deities from a combination of religions, including that of Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and even Abraham from the Islamic and Christian faiths. No doubt, this religion was influenced by multiple countries that occupied Vietnam over the centuries.

Coming across cathedrals always took me by surprise as I traversed the southern part of Vietnam. I am simply not used to seeing Christian symbols in this part of Asia, let alone in a communist country!

None the less, Roman Catholicism has a strong foothold in Vietnam with its entry via the Portuguese Catholic missionaries in the 16th century and strengthened influence during French colonial rule. Perhaps the most dominant symbol of the Catholic influence is at the heart of Ho Chi Minh City where a cathedral known as Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica was constructed with two bell towers by the French from 1863-1880. A statue of Mother Mary stands in a small courtyard in front of the cathedral. A witness reported in 2005 they saw this statue "shed tears" which immediately drew thousands of visitors.

Witnessing a variety of religious practices sparked my curiosity on how the Communist party in Vietnam deals with this. According to research:

"The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam formally allows religious freedom, however, government restrictions remain on organized activities of many religious groups. The government maintains a prominent role overseeing officially recognized religions... so they do not challenge the authority of the Communist party. In 2007, Vietnam News reported that Vietnam has six religions recognized including that of Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Cao Đài, and Hòa Hảo."