Spirit chronicles and imperial edicts show how villages and the state shaped the Thành Hoàng, and why Southern communal houses worship other origins too.
Thành Hoàng is the guardian deity believed to protect each Vietnamese village, worshipped at the communal đình. Its origins, deity types and royal decrees.
Kỳ yên at Bình Thủy communal house, Cần Thơ: Thượng điền on the 12th-14th of the fourth lunar month, Hạ điền on the 14th-15th of the twelfth. Rites explained.
Hát Xoan Phú Thọ is ritual singing at the communal house gate to worship the Hung Kings, performed in three stages by four original Xoan guilds in Việt Trì.
Phong tục in English is custom, tập quán is usage, and truyền thống is tradition. See how the three differ, plus a vocabulary table of Vietnamese customs.
Explore the cultural significance, rituals, and uniqueness of traditional boat racing festivals across Vietnam, from Kiến Giang river to other regions.
Vạn Thắng agarwood carving in Vạn Ninh, Khánh Hòa is a family trade over 100 years old, with 400 households and 700 workers, now eyed for community tourism.
Cham weddings in Southern Vietnam follow Islam through proposal and days of ceremony, with matchmakers, betel offerings, bride price and Quran recitation.
The "ngu mai" custom of the Tho people in Nghệ An lets young men and women talk overnight at festivals, strictly governed by customary law before marriage.
Huyền Trân Princess Temple in Hue honors the Tran dynasty princess who expanded Vietnam's southern frontier. Its festival falls in the first lunar month.
Mid-Autumn Festival customs differ across Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam, from northern rituals to lively Central festivals and Southern gift-giving.
Thôn Cao incense village in Hưng Yên is Northern Vietnam's largest incense-making craft village, its 18th-century craft tied to ancestress Đào Thị Khương.
Southern Vietnamese funerals in press accounts: nhập quan, phát tang, cúng vong, ritual music, động quan and hạ huyệt, and where sources cover one locality.
Southern bánh tét is a signature Tet offering that symbolizes prosperity and family reunion. See its origins, meaning and traditional wrapping methods.
Southern Vietnam worship spans Thành hoàng, Bà Chúa Xứ, Mẫu, whale and ancestor veneration. Its origins, cultural fusion and modern shifts are examined.
Việt Bắc and Northeast Vietnam are two names with different scopes. This article analyses Then singing, market fairs, village life and local variations.
Southern Khmer weddings feature the betel palm flower cutting ceremony that formalizes the union and the hand-tying ritual, a sacred moment binding two souls.