There's no clear faith that people follow but some call themselves Buddhists & practice beliefs that they’ve developed over time.
3 June 2014
| Last updated on 29 June 2017![Religions of Vietnam Religions of Vietnam](https://cdn.expatwoman.com/s3fs-public/5ceacabf-097c-4a38-8237-579621a0e0d6.jpg)
Vietnam is a socialist state and the good of the group is often prioritized over the good of the individual hence religion never played a very strong role to the Vietnamese people. In fact in a recent consensus many people said that they had no religious affiliations at all.
There is no clear cut faith that people follow however many people call themselves Buddhists and practice beliefs that they’ve developed over the centuries. The Buddhist faith is reflected in the 20 000 odd pagodas dedicated to Buddha. The Vietnamese get some of their most prominent characteristics from Buddhism, and to some extent Taoism, namely; gentleness, tolerance, hospitality, generosity, non-violence, compassion and humility. Confucianism also plays a strong role in Vietnamese culture – hence the Vietnamese live in the tradition of respect, believing that a person’s actions determine his future.
Catholicism is considered the second biggest religion in Vietnam and has over 6 million followers. It was introduced to Vietnam, much like the way of writing [ADD CITATION], by the 17th Century missionaries and has grown to a great extent. There are over 6000 churches throughout the country.
Other religions in the country include Islam and Protestantism but neither flourished. Additionally the indigenous people of Vietnam have their own religions, Cao Dai and Hoa Hoa sects, which are practiced widely. There is no competition between the different religions in Vietnam and people choose to be harmonious with one another.