Worship

In Vietnam, religious worship was far less evident in daily life than other countries I've visited in Southeast Asia, such as Laos and Burma where Buddhism is widely practiced and robed monks appear at every turn and at the ubiquitous temples. Vietnam is officially an atheist state, and in its last census 81% of the people indicated they were non-believers in formal religion. But that doesn't mean that religion doesn't exist. A lot of religious beliefs are now couched as "traditions" (like ancestor worship) and is widely practiced, as is evidenced by the spirit houses located in each and every business or home that are dutifully tended to each day (with offerings of coffee in the morning or beer later in the day - deceased ancestors stay happy just like we do!). Despite the non-believers, Vietnam is also the most religiously diverse SE Asian country I've visited. Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity (mostly Catholic), Islam, Caodaism and more are all represented. The difference to me as a photographer is that I still just really like the Buddhist/Hindu temples, ceremonies and rites... I sought out Buddhist temples, whereas I didn't see one mosque or really set foot in a Christian church. Give me the incense, candles, Buddhas, altars and statuary of a Buddhist temple or shrine to photograph any day! So, here's my very lopsided view of religious worship in Vietnam. It doesn't really tell the truth. :)