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Vietnam Religions
The major
religious traditions in Vietnam are
Buddhism (which fuses forms of
Taoism and Confusianism),
Christianity (Catholicism and
Protestantism), Islam, Cao Daism and
the Hoa Hao sect.
* Buddhism
Buddhism was first introduced to
Vietnam in the 4th century B.C., and
reached its peak in the Ly dynasty
(11th century). It was then regarded
as the official religion dominating
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.
Presenty, 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 about the same time as
Catholicism. Protestantism, however,
remains an obscure religion. At
present most Protestants live in the
Central Highlands. There still
remains a Protestant church on Hang
Da Street in Hanoi. The number of
Protestants living in Vietnam is
estimated at 400,000.
* Islamic
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 the Church in
Tay Ninh. The number of followers of
this sect is estimated at 2 million.
* Hoahaoism
Hoahaoism was first introduced to
Vietnam in 1939. More than 1 million
Vietnamese are followers of this
sect. Most of them live in the
western part of South Vietnam.
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a
sovereign and reunified independent
country, has a high percentage of
territorial waters. Looking at the
map, Vietnam is located in the
center of the Southeast Asia, and is
shaped like the letter "S". The
country lies in the eastern part of
the Indochina peninsula, bordered by
China to the north, Laos and
Cambodia to the west, and the East
Sea and Pacific Ocean to the
southeast. Vietnam's coast line is
3,260 km long and its inland border
measures 3,730 km.
The country's total length, from the
northernmost point to the
southernmost point, is 1,650 km.
Its width, stretching from east to
west, is 600 km at the widest point
in the north, 400 km in the south,
and 50 km at the narrowest part in
the Quang Binh province on the
central coast. Vietnam is also a
transport junction from the Indian
Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. |
