The relation between Buddhist belief and socio-economic class in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

Buddhism has taken deep roots in Vietnamese life for more than twenty centuries. Among one of the world’s major religions, 14.9 percent of Vietnamese population are Buddhists (Minh Ngoc Nguyen). This is irrevocably demonstrated by the traditional practice of worshiping, pagodas, and animal sacrifice. These activities persist in present times, and have become even more active since the end of French colonial times. Nevertheless, not all Vietnamese are Buddhists. Several occasions of personal observation have led me to question what the impact of socio-economic class on Buddhist beliefs in Hanoi, Vietnam, might be and this is the question I will examine in this paper.