The major religious traditions in
Vietnam are Buddhism (which fuses forms of Taoism and Confusianism),
Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, Cao Daism and the
Hoa Hao sect.
At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of
decline. The ideological influence of Buddhism, however, remained very
strong in social and cultural life. Presenty, over 70 percent of the
population of Vietnam are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by
Buddhist practices.
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| Islamic |
| Islamic followers in Vietnam are primarily from
the Cham ethnic minority group living in the central part of the
central coast. The number of Islamic followers in Vietnam totals about
50,000. |
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| Caodaism |
| Caodaism was first introduced to the country in
1926. Settlements of the Cao Dai followers in South Vietnam are located
near the the Church in Tay Ninh.The number of followers of this sect is
estimated at 2 million. |
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| Hoahaoism |
| Hoahaoism was first introduced to Vietnam in
1939. More than 1 million Vietnamese are followers of this sect. Most
of them live in the western part of South Vietnam. |
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| Catholicism |
| Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the
17th century. At present the most densely-populated Catholic areas are
Bui Chu-Phat Diem in the northern province of Ninh Binh and Ho Nai-Bien
Hoa in Dong Nai province to the South. About 10 percent of the
population are considered Catholic. |
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| Protestantism |
| Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam at
about the same time as Catholicism. Protestantism, however, remains an
obscure religion. At present most Protestants live in the Central
Highlands. There still remains a Protestant church on Hang Da Street in
Hanoi. The number of Protestants living in Vietnam is estimated at
400,000. |
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