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Typical Spiritual Tourist Destinations in Vietnam


(Bac Ninh), Phat Diem Cathedral, Bai Dinh Pagoda (Ninh Binh), Tra Kieu Capital, My Son Temple Complex (Quang Nam), La Vang Holy Land (Quang Tri), Cao Dai Holy Temple (Tay Ninh),... These holy sites are increasingly invested in upgrading, renovating, and repairing to be more spacious and majestic, but little attention is paid to the aspect of preparing conditions for tourists following the type of spiritual tourism such as: accommodation, meditation halls, holy temples, equipment for retreat activities, necessities,...

Festivals : "Ceremony" is a system of behaviors and movements that express people's respect for gods, reflecting people's legitimate dreams for life that they themselves are not yet able to realize. "Association" is a cultural, religious, and artistic activity of the community, originating from the needs of life. Festivals are collective activities and are often related to beliefs and religions. According to statistics from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there are currently 7,966 festivals nationwide, including 7,039 folk festivals (88.4%), 332 historical festivals (4.2%), 544 religious festivals (6.8%), ten festivals imported from abroad (0.1%), and the rest are other festivals (0.5%). Thus, it can be seen that the potential for developing spiritual tourism in Vietnam is very promising. In particular, many festivals have been recognized by UNESCO as intangible heritages with great influence in the region and internationally, recognized by the world such as the Gióng Festival (Hanoi), and the Hung King Worshiping Belief (Phu Tho).

Table 4.2. Typical spiritual tourist destinations in Vietnam


STT

Place name

Province

Religion, typical beliefs


North

1

Perfume Pagoda

Hanoi

Buddhism

2

Yen Tu Pagoda

Quang Ninh

Buddhism

3

Dau Pagoda, But Thap, Phat Tich

Bac Ninh

Buddhism

4

Bai Dinh Pagoda

Ninh Binh

Buddhism

5

Con Son - Kiep Bac

Hai Duong

Temple


6


Hung Temple


Phu Tho

Worship ancestors, saints, gods, and mothers


7

Giong Temple, Tan Vien,

Chu Dong Tu


Hanoi, Hung Yen

Ancestor worship, saints, mother worship

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STT

Place name

Province

Religion, typical beliefs


8

Ba Chua Kho Temple, Phu Giay Temple, Tay Ho Temple,..

Bac Ninh, South

Dinh, Hanoi


Mother worship

9

Tran Temple

Nam Dinh

Worship the gods


10


Hoang Muoi Temple


Ha Tinh, Nghe An

Worshiping mothers, mandarins, girls, boys,...

11

Temple of Mother Au Co

Phu Tho, Lao Cai

Mother worship


Central Highlands


12

Quang Tri Citadel, Truong Son Cemetery, Dong Loc T-junction...


Quang Tri, Ha Tinh

Spiritual tourism to repay gratitude

13

Phnom Penh Church

Quang Tri

Christianity

14

Thien Mu Pagoda

Hue

Buddhism


15

Non Nuoc Ngu Hanh Son Pagoda, Linh Ung Pagoda


Danang


Buddhism


16

Kate Festival and Pokrong Giarai Tower, Ponagar Tower Festival

Ninh Thuan, Nha Trang

religious

Brahmin


17

Buffalo stabbing festival, grave abandonment, new rice celebration, forest worship,... of Ede, Gia Rai, Xo Dang, Mo Nong ethnic groups


Kon Tum, Dak Lak


Polytheism

18

Truc Lam Zen Monastery in Dalat

Lam Dong

Buddhism


Southern

19

The Lady of the Land Association

An Giang

Mother Goddess Worship

20

Cao Dai Church

Tay Ninh

Caodaism

21

Ok Om Bok Association

Tra Vinh, Soc Trang

Buddhism

22

Ba Den Mountain Festival

Tay Ninh

Worship Mother Goddess, Saints


23


Con Dao


Ba Ria - Vung Tau

Spiritual tourism to repay gratitude

Source: Author's synthesis


4.1.2. Religious activities

Our country is a multi-religious and multi-faith country. People are free to follow or not follow as well as practice beliefs/religions according to the provisions of the Law on Belief and Religion (2016, Point 1, Article 6). Accordingly, belief is understood as human belief expressed through rituals associated with traditional customs and practices to bring spiritual peace to individuals and communities. Religion is human belief that exists with a system of concepts and activities including objects of worship, doctrines, canon laws, rituals and organizations (Article 1 of the Law on Belief and Religion, 2016).

In Vietnam, religious and belief activities are quite developed, including: ancestor worship, worship of outstanding heroes in the history of building and defending the country, mother worship, and village tutelary god worship. Religious establishments with associated or related rituals such as communal houses, temples, shrines, and palaces... are abundant, stretching from North to South, and are also a significant source of humanistic tourism resources. With the policy of freedom of belief and the attention of the Party and State on the issue of belief, many temples, communal houses, shrines, and palaces are currently being repaired and restored. This is one of the favorable conditions to promote the development of tourism activities, especially spiritual tourism activities.

Religion: is an organization that takes spiritual beliefs as its center along with a system of dogmas, doctrines, clergy, churches... In some ways, religion is like a medium that helps people sympathize and communicate with objects such as God, Buddha, God, Saints... that people believe in and worship.

Religion in Vietnam is also very diverse. According to statistics from the Government's religious affairs committee, by 2018, the country had 12 religions recognized as legal entities and operating: Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Cao Dai, Islam, Hoa Hao Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhist Association, Tu An Hieu Nghia, Ba'hai, Minh Chon religion, Minh Ly religion and Buu Son Ky Huong, with a total of 37 church organizations, congregations, more than 20 million followers of religions, over 85,000 dignitaries, monks and nuns and more than 26,000 places of worship of religions in all provinces and cities across the country. Some of the most popular religions in Vietnam include:

Among religions, Buddhism is the most developed religion in Vietnam today. Buddhism has a long history, has many followers, and has a profound influence in the Vietnamese community. According to statistics from the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, Vietnam has more than 14,775 temples, monasteries, hermitages, and Buddhist prayer halls nationwide. Regarding population: about 80% - 90% of the Vietnamese population is inclined towards Buddhism. Of these, many temples, monasteries, hermitages, and Buddhist prayer halls are recognized as relics. Buddhism is a religion


Religion has many activities that attract a large number of followers, creating favorable conditions for the development of spiritual tourism and meditation tourism, contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of localities.

Christianity (Christianity): Believes in God and Jesus, followers of this religion believe that there is only one God, God, who created the universe, humans and all species on earth. Christianity believes that the human body is dust, but the soul is immortal, therefore, there is Heaven and Hell, which are places of eternal happiness and eternal suffering, after death people will go to one of these two places.

Christianity was introduced to Vietnam by Spanish, French, and Portuguese missionaries in the early 16th century in Nam Dinh (during the Le-Mac dynasty). Later, the French encouraged people to follow this new religion because they believed that it would help balance the number of Buddhists (the majority due to a long history of development) and the number of Catholics (the minority due to its recent introduction). In the beginning, from the 16th to the 19th century, the majority of Vietnamese people rarely joined Catholicism, so Catholicism only spread among a small number of people in the coastal provinces of Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and then spread to the Red River Delta and urban areas. During this period, priest Alexandre de Rhodes made great contributions to building the foundation of Catholicism in Vietnam. Currently, Vietnam has about 5.5 million Catholics and about 6,000 churches across the country. Currently, some important holidays of this religion in localities with many Catholic followers such as Easter (Christ's resurrection), Christmas (Christ's birth)... with unique spiritual rituals, have attracted many tourists from everywhere to visit and learn.

Cao Dai: is a religion of the Vietnamese people, founded in 1926. Cao Dai is a religious organization that synthesizes many beliefs, the main ones being Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Therefore, beliefs, thoughts, and doctrines are also a synthesis of the above religions. Cao Dai followers practice religious laws such as not killing, living honestly, being sociable, doing good deeds, avoiding evil, helping others, praying, worshiping ancestors, and always showing love for people through vegetarianism with the simple goal of bringing happiness to everyone, bringing everyone back to God in heaven. Cao Dai developed strongly and spread to many localities in the early stages. Later, Cao Dai divided.


into many sects and is no longer as strong as before. Currently, the headquarters of the Central Cao Dai religion is located at the Tay Ninh Holy See, this is a spiritual tourist destination, a unique architectural work that attracts many tourists to visit and worship.

Hoa Hao Religion : or Hoa Hao Buddhism, is a Vietnamese religion originating from Buddhism. This religion was founded by Mr. Huynh Phu So, who became its leader in 1939 in Hoa Hao village, now in Chau Doc city, An Giang province. Hoa Hao religion believes in reincarnation, cause and effect, takes compassion and equality as the path of practice, encourages simple worship rituals (only flowers and clean water) and eliminates superstition. Ceremonies are organized simply, without eating or drinking, or festivals. Ceremonies, weddings or funerals are not as elaborate as those commonly seen in other religions. The religion does not have monks or a church organization, but only a number of dignitaries who take care of religious and worldly affairs. This religion currently has about 1.3 million followers, concentrated mainly in the Southwest region, especially the Long Xuyen quadrangle area.

Protestantism , also known as Christianity, has the same origin as Catholicism, founded by pastor Martin Luther. Protestantism believes in God and Jesus, but does not believe in the Virgin Mary. It has the same Bible and doctrine as Catholicism. It was introduced to Vietnam in 1911. At first, this religion was only allowed to operate in areas controlled by France and was banned in other areas. It was not until 1920 that Protestantism was allowed to operate throughout Vietnam. By 2004, the number of Protestants in Vietnam was about 1 million, mainly concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City, the Central Highlands and the Northwest.

Islam was introduced to Vietnam very early, first around the 10th - 11th centuries in the Cham community. Vietnam currently has about 60,000 Muslims, living mainly in the provinces of Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, An Giang, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City.

With the diversity of beliefs, religions and places of worship along with many festivals with religious colors across the country, it brings great potential for spiritual tourism activities in Vietnam now and in the future.

4.2. Descriptive statistics of the research sample

The official sample survey results in the thesis with 700 questionnaires distributed collected 551 valid questionnaires, the response rate reached approximately 79%. The characteristics of spiritual tourists are described according to the criteria of age, gender, education, occupation and monthly income as follows:


Table 4.3. Characteristics of tourists in the survey sample


Group

Ingredient

Number

Proportion


Age

<25

178

32.3%

25-35

127

23%

35-45

142

25.8%

45-60

97

17.6%

>60

7

1.3%


Job

Student

170

30.9%

Office staff

79

14.3%

Civil servant/official

140

25.4%

Freelance business

61

11.1%

Housewife/Retired

54

9.8%

Other

47

8.5%


Sex

Male

204

37%

Female

347

63%


Monthly income (VND)

<2.5 million

150

27.2%

2.5 -<5 million

96

17.4%

5-<7.5 million

139

25.2%

7.5-<10 million

71

12.9%

>=10 million

95

17.2%

Source: Author's synthesis

Statistics from official data show that the proportion of tourists in the age group visiting spiritual tourist sites is relatively even. In which, the group of young tourists (under 25 years old) accounts for the highest proportion, approximately 1/3 (178 people) of the number of visitors participating in the survey, and the lowest is the group of people over 45 years old (18.9%, 104 people). This result also reflects the high similarity with the occupational proportion of tourists with the group of students accounting for 30.9% (170 people). Also in terms of occupation, the group of tourists who are civil servants and public employees is the second largest group of tourists with nearly 25.4% of the survey participants. Tourists who are office workers, freelancers or retired housewives and those with other occupations have similar proportions, all below 15% (Table 4.1, Figure 4.1).



Figure 4.1. Statistics on tourist characteristics by age and occupation

In terms of gender, the number of female customers participating in the survey was about 3/2 more than the number of male customers, with the rates of 63% (347 people) and 37% (204 people), respectively. The income spectrum was divided into 5 levels, in which the group of tourists with income under 2.5 million/month with 27.2% (150 people) and 5-7.5 million/month with 25.2% (139 people), respectively, accounted for the highest rate. Meanwhile, the group of tourists with income in the three groups of 2.5-5 million/month, over 10 million/month and 7.5-10 million/month had relatively equal rates, accounting for 17.4% (96 people), 17.2% (95 people) and 12.9% (71 people) respectively (Table 4.2, Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2. Statistics on tourist characteristics by gender and monthly income

The statistical results on the characteristics of spiritual tourism activities of tourists include two criteria: frequency of spiritual tourism and tourists' beliefs and religions. Regarding frequency, the


Most tourists only travel to spiritual sites less than 2 times/year with nearly 60% of respondents (328 people). Next, 148 people (equivalent to 26.9%) said they participate in spiritual tourism activities from 2-4 times/year and only 75 people (equivalent to 13.6%) have a frequency of spiritual tourism more than 4 times/year. Regarding beliefs and religions of tourists, the two most common groups of tourists are Buddhists and Catholics, accounting for 45.6% (251 people) and 22.7% (125 people), respectively. The group of tourists following religions such as Cao Dai, Hoa Hao and Protestantism has a relatively low rate, under 10%. However, the group of tourists following other religions or no religion accounts for nearly 1/5 with 110 respondents (Table 4.4, Figure 4.3)

Table 4.4. Characteristics of spiritual tourism activities of tourists


Group

Ingredient

Number

Proportion


Frequency of visits to spiritual sites

<2 times/year

328

59.5%

2-<4 times/year

148

26.9%

4-<6 times/year

46

8.3%

>= 6 times/year

29

5.3%


Religious beliefs

Buddhism

251

45.6%

Cao Dai

35

6.4%

Hoa Hao

18

3.3%

Christianity

125

22.7%

Good News

12

2.2%

Other

110

20.0%

Source: Author's synthesis


Figure 4.3. Statistics on tourist characteristics according to frequency of spiritual and religious tourism

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