Vietnam tour to learn unique Vietnamese culture

Religion has exerted a deep influence on Vietnamese culture and the Vietnamese concept of life. With its many cultures, Vietnam has a variety of religions.  Originally, the main religions of Vietnam were Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, Buddhism being introduced first.  Despite Buddhism and Taoism were popular with the Vietnamese, Confucianism became the recognized religion.  

Religious Beliefs:
The religions of Vietnam are varied and rarely well-defined. Although some people call themselves Buddhists, they do like practicing Confucian and Taoist principles, worship of ancestral and a little animism, and superstitions as well. Real beliefs have developed over centuries from a liquefying pot of many ideas.

There was strong influence of Buddhism, which was the most popular religion in Vietnam and, to certain extent, of Taoism and some other beliefs resulted in certain qualities of Vietnamese people such as: hospitality, gentleness, tolerance, non-violence, generosity, compassion and humility.

Confucianism, which places strong emphasis on courtesy, duty and virtue, also has strong influence in Vietnam. As a result, these people have a tradition of respecting elders, teachers and authorities and being responsible to their families and society. Because, according to the Confucians ethic principle, a person’s behaviors determine his future, much attention is placed on education in Vietnam, resulting in the current high literacy rates of the country.

Traditional Beliefs:
The constitution specially allows for the freedom of religion, but this right is often embarrassed particularly with concern to any religious activities that could become a forum for dissidence.

With the perception that every object has a soul, since the ancient time, the people of Vietnam have worshiped a large number of gods, specifically related to agriculture such as sun, moon, river, forest, land and mountain, etc. Each ethnic minority in Vietnam has its own way of sharpening its traditional beliefs, most precisely those maintained by some ethnic groups such as Tay-Thai, Cham-Ede-Gia Rai, Hoa-San Diu-Ngai, Hmong-Dao, Mon-Khmer.

Exclusive variations aside, the core of religious practice for almost all the people of Vietnam is the worship of spirits. They believe that the most important spirits are the souls of the ancestors. Almost all Vietnamese families have altars in their homes where they perform rites for family ancestors, especially on the death anniversaries and the Lunar New Year.

Rituals and Holy Places:
The most paramount ritual occasion in Vietnamese society is the celebration of the Lunar New Year ( Tet Nguyen Dan ) when families associate to welcome the coming of the new year and give their respects to elders and family ancestors. In the lunar year the first and fifteenth of every month in the twelve month are also important occasions for rites to spirits, ancestors, and Buddhist divinity.

These include family ancestral altars, descent halls, a variety of shrines dedicated to spirits, common houses that hold the fonts of village guardian spirits, temples of Buddhist or other alliances, Christian churches, and mosques.
The beautiful country also has many shrines and temples that hold annual festivals that pilgrims and interested visitors attend, often from all over the world. Among the more famous are the Perfume Pagoda in the north, the popular Catholic shrine at La Vang in the central part, and the prominent Cao Dai Temple in the south.

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Here at Vivutravel we like to seek out the lesser known sides of the world's most precious destinations to create unusual bespoke Vietnam trips that give you a rare insight into a faraway culture. Vietnam is up there with our all time favorite places in the world for its sheer beauty and inimitable traditions. Sail away on watery backwaters and wander through ruined temples and find reasons why Vietnam tour is so special.