Vietnam Burn Incense

Pagodas and temples without number stud the hills, fields, and streets of Vietnam. Vietnam’s triple religion is largely structured around the ritual and practice of Mahayana Buddhism; one of its spiritual centers is the Perfume Pagoda near Hà Nÿi. The countryside around the Vietnamese capital is liberally blessed with an abundance of other pagodas as well. Ancient Hu\ is rich with religious architecture; take a bike and pedal from chùa to chùa in the city’s tranquil suburbs. After visiting magnificently intricate Giác Lñm Pagoda and the other Buddhist places of worship in H· Chí Minh City , you can switch faiths and check out the Vietnamese Notre Dame Cathedral , along with sundry other churches, mosques, and Hindu temples—an interesting reflection of the city’s religious diversity. North of the city, the enormous, eye-popping Cao ài Holy See is the world center of Cao ài, a syncretic greatest-hits religion in which Jesus Christ, Muhammad, the Buddha, Lao Tse, Joan of Arc, Shakespeare, and, needless to say, V.I. Lenin are all considered prophets or saints. Vietnam also brings its religion to the beach, in the form of the Buddha, Jesus, and Madonna statues at V´ng Tàu . Literally every town in Vietnam has its own pagoda or six, and many are peaceful, intricate, and beautiful.

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