Vesak marks the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha, and its date differs between Theravada and Mahayana traditions. The bathing ritual symbolizes inner purification.
The Thần Tài prayer in Vietnamese folk tradition: origins, meaning, offerings, how to worship, and the full prayer, the first of the month and the full moon.
Buddhist meditation covers both meditative concentration and the Zen school, arriving in Vietnam from the early Common Era and thriving under the Lý and Trần.
The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path are the foundation of Buddhism, analyzed through Pali scriptures, philosophy, and levels of practice.
Updated 11 Oct 2026Culture and belief
Knowledge › Vietnam › Vietnamese commemorative days
Nhật Quang and Nguyệt Quang Bodhisattvas are the two attendants flanking Medicine Buddha, symbolizing the light of the Sun and Moon shining on all beings.
Tet rites in southern Vietnam: welcoming the ancestors on the 30th, giao thừa offerings outdoors and indoors, Tết nhà on the third, farewell on the fourth.
Outdoor and indoor New Year's Eve offerings differ in who is invited, where the rite is held and the prayer text. Each region has its own symbolic dishes.
The grave-opening ceremony about three days after burial in southern Vietnam: the offerings, the folk meaning of chick, ladder and sugarcane, a Buddhist view.
Explore the journey from the Cham goddess Po Inư Nagar to Thien Y A Na in Vietnamese belief, through the lens of the Po Nagar Tower festival in Nha Trang.
Kathina, the Khmer Theravada robe offering after the three-month rain retreat, runs from the 16th of the ninth lunar month to the full moon of the tenth.
Southern and northern Tết Eve worship differ in the outdoor Heaven altar, the indoor tray and offerings, with origins, meaning and how to prepare each.
In Việt Nam phong tục, tế ngu counts from burial: sơ ngu on the burial day, tam ngu on the third. The 49th, 100th day and first anniversary count from death.
Christmas in Vietnam centers on the December 24 vigil and the December 25 main Mass, with the nativity grotto and tree, now shared by non-Catholics too.
A guide to preparing New Year's Eve offerings, arranging the outdoor and indoor trays by Vietnamese custom, with safety notes and regional differences.
The five precepts of lay Buddhists: no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying or intoxicants, as the Pali suttas state them, and practice in Vietnam.
An overview of traditional Vietnamese festivals: agricultural, religious, commemorative, and ethnic festivals. Classification, meaning, and cultural value.
Theravada Buddhism sits at the center of Khmer Krom spiritual life, with the village pagoda and major festivals such as Chôl Chnăm Thmây and Ok Om Bok.