Topic:THE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS HERITAGE A. Religious heritage of America (Group 3) B.

Religious heritage of Vietnam (Group 2)

OUTLINE PART B (Group2) B. Religious heritage of Vietnam. I. Introduction. II. Body. 1. General situation of religion in Vietnam. 2. Freedom of Religion in Vietnam. 3. Buddhists belief and how it affect Vietnamese peoples life in every aspect. 3.1. Buddhists belief. 3.2. Concrete heritage of Buddhist. 3.3. Intangible heritage of Buddhist. 4. Confucianism. 4.1. Confucianisms belief. 4.2. How Confucianism affect the ideology of the Vietnamese. III. Conclusion.

I. Introduction. II. Body.

1. General situation of religion in Viet Nam Some knowledge of religion in Vietnam is fundamental to an appreciation of every phase of Vietnamese life, because religious beliefs richly color almost every Vietnamese thought and act, and affect the way they react to us and what we do. Religion and Belief Viet Nam is a multi-religious and multi-belief country. The Vietnamese people have a time-honored tradition of practicing their beliefs. Different ethnic groups in Viet Nam have different beliefs linked to their own economic and spiritual life. Religious freedom is one of the principles on which our nation was founded, the right of each person to believe and worship as he pleases. We will find in Vietnam a tradition of religious tolerance inherited from the ancient Buddhists. To the Vietnamese, and to hundreds of millions of people in Asia, their religious beliefs are sacred, as sacred to them as our beliefs are to us, and perhaps more a part of their life than ours are ours. In Vietnam, then, we can do no less than try to understand and respect the beliefs of the people. Traditional belief: With the perception that every object has a soul, since the ancient time, the Vietnamese people have worshiped a large number of gods, especially those related to agriculture such as sun, moon, land, mountain, river and forest, etc. In addition, the most popular and time-honored custom of the Vietnamese people, including some ethnic minorities, is ancestor worship and commemoration of death anniversaries. Every Vietnamese family has an altar to worship their ancestors and attaches importance to the commemoration of death anniversaries of the predecessors. Beside ancestor worship in each family and each clan, many villages have a communal house or a temple to worship the Village Deity. The custom of worshiping the Village Deity is a unique feature of Vietnamese villages. The Village Deity worshiped in the villages temple and communal house can be a god or an outstanding figure that rendered great service such as the forefather of a traditional handicraft or a national hero who greatly contributed to the cause of national building and fighting foreign invaders. The Vietnamese people also worship other gods like the Kitchen God and God of the Soil.

The main religions in Viet Nam Vietnam has no state religion. Often it is considered a predominantly Buddhist nation, but this classification can be misleading. Viet Nam has six major religions, namely Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Muslim, Caodaism and Hoa Hao Buddhism. Buddhism Buddhism was first introduced to Vietnam in the 4th century B.C., and reached its peak in the Ly dynasty (11th century). It was then regarded as the official religion dominating court affairs. Buddhism was preached broadly among the population and it enjoyed a profound influence on people's daily life. Its influence also left marks in various areas of traditional literature and architecture. At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of decline. Presenty, over 70 percent of the population of Vietnam are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices. Catholicism Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century. At present the most denselypopulated 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. 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. Islamic(Muslim) 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.In Viet Nam, Muslim followers are mostly Cham people. According to historical records, the Cham were first introduced to Muslim in the 10th and 11th century. 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. 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. : Hoa Hao

Buddhism is another indigenous religion created by Huynh Phu So on July 4th May 1939 in Hoa Hao Village, An Giang Province. All the world's great religions can be found in Vietnam. At least four major beliefs have had a profound impact on the people and their culture and are reflected subtly or obviously in behavior and customs. 2. Freedom of Religion in Viet Nam. 2.1. History of antireligious campaign. Like other states based upon Marxist-Leninist ideology, Vietnam's communists embraced a militantly atheistic stance against religion. At the same time, they were also influenced by anti-colonial and nationalist traditions in Vietnam, including the writings of Phan Boi Chau. During the First Indochina War (19461954), despite its doctrinal atheism, the Indochinese Communist Party made efforts at recruiting religious believers to its side. The Catholic minority, while being obviously linked to the French presence, were seen as potential allies rather than ipso facto opponents, provided they could be recruited to the anti-colonial side. Catholic missionaries were condemned in party propaganda, but Vietnamese Catholics were called upon as compatriots to embrace nationalism. AntiCatholic criticism was thereby focused on French Catholic clerics as a foreign element and avoided doctrinal criticism of the beliefs of the church. In an effort to reach out to Vietnamese Catholics, Ho Chi Minh attended Christmas Mass in 1945 and included Catholics in his cabinet. In 1954, it was because of the communists' anti-religious stance that U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's government decided to promote the leadership of a devout Catholic named Ngo Dinh Diem for South Vietnam. It was assumed that he would protect the rights of freedom of religion in South Vietnam, due to his deep faith, but instead he used his power to suppress Buddhism (which was the majority religion of South Vietnam) and promote Catholicism. The Communist Party in the North from 1954 and from the South from 1975, attacked many traditional religious practices and folk beliefs. The spirit worship of common people was interpreted from the marxist perspective as being a survival from an earlier stage of social evolution when people deified nature in their inability to overcome or control it. These beliefs were considered illusory and that they made people 'impotent' (bat luc) and fatalistic. These beliefs were considered to undermine people's confidence and did not encourage them to believe people could solve their own problems. The spirit worship was considered by the communists as a tool of 'feudal' elites to maintain their

oppressive rule. Lady Lieu Hanh, a goddess worshipped in Vietnamese folk religion was also considered an importation from Chinese taoism and therefore a legacy of Chinese colonialism. After the Communists won the war and reunified Vietnam, the government in Hanoi turned to suppress religion with great force. Many Buddhists had been opposed to the war and when the Communists achieved victory, the anti-war efforts by Vietnamese Buddhists were marginalized by the government. The Buddhist peace activist Cao Ngoc Phuong (who had been previously jailed by the Saigon government) was branded a war criminal by the Hanoi regime. Buddhist self-immolations, like the kind that had occurred in South Vietnam against the government in Saigon, soon occurred in the unified Vietnam in protest of the government's treatment of Buddhism. In November 1975, 12 Buddhist monks and nuns immolated themselves in Can Tho. In 1977, Thich Nu Nhu Hien burned herself in Hanoi in order to be a torch of wisdom that would bring the government to embrace religious tolerance. Many of the Buddhists who burned themselves in protest of the Communist government belonged to the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam, which was banned by Hanoi afterwards. Many Vietnamese held greater respect for the Buddhist hierarchy than for the communist government, and many people in opposition to the government saw Buddhism as an alternative to Marxism. Government opposition has portrayed Marxism as being a foreign western ideology, while Buddhism was linked to the indigenous heritage of Vietnam. 2.2. Status of religious freedom. The Constitution, legal code, and a 2003 Communist Party Central Committee resolution on religion provide for freedom of belief and worship, as well as nonbelief; however, the government required the registration of all activities by religious groups and used this requirement to restrict activities in certain cases. The New Ordinance on Religion and Belief, which came into effect in November 2004, serves as the primary document governing religious practice. It reiterates citizens' rights to freedom of belief, freedom of religion, and freedom not to follow a religion, and it states that violations of these freedoms are prohibited. In February 2005 the Prime Minister issued the "Instruction on Some Tasks Regarding Protestantism", which calls on authorities to facilitate the requests of recognized Protestant denominations to construct churches and to train and appoint pastors.

In March 2005 the Government issued an implementing decree (Decree 22) that provided further guidance on the Ordinance on Religion and Belief. Like the ordinance, the decree explicitly bans forced renunciations of faith. It also delineates specific procedures by which an unrecognized religious organization can register its places of worship, its clerics, and its activities and thus operate openly. It further provides procedures for these groups to apply for official recognition from the Government to gain additional rights. The decree specifies that a religious organization must have 20 years of "stable religious operation" in the country in order to be recognized by the Government. National security and national solidarity provisions in the Constitution override laws and regulations providing for religious freedom, and these provisions reportedly have been used to impede religious gatherings and the spread of religion to certain ethnic groups. The Penal Code, as amended in 1997, established penalties for offenses that are defined only vaguely, including "attempting to undermine national unity" by promoting "division between religious believers and nonbelievers." In the past authorities used Article 258 of the Penal code to charge persons with practicing religion illegally. This article allows for prison terms of up to 3 years for "abus[ing] the rights to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of belief, religion, assembly, association, and other democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State." Article 258 was not used to hinder religious practice during the reporting period. The Government does not officially favor a particular religion. However, many party and government officials openly practice traditional ancestor worship, and some visit Buddhist pagodas. The prominent traditional position of Buddhism does not affect religious freedom for others adversely, including those who do not practice a religion. The Government officially recognizes Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, and Muslim religious organizations. The Baha'i Faith was registered nationally in 2007 and would be eligible to apply for national recognition in 2008. Individual congregations within each of these religious groups must be registered as well. Some leaders and believers of alternative Buddhist, Protestant, Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai organizations of these religions do not participate in the government-approved religious associations. There are no religious national holidays. 3. Buddhists belief and how it affect Vietnamese peoples life in every aspect. 3.1 What Buddhist believe? A fortunate or unfortunate life depends on individual merits and demerits

A person should always perform good action and restrain himself from doing evil actions. However if a person has performed an evil action, it is necessary that he relies where he has done wrong and make an effort not to repeat the mistake. Praying for forgiveness is meaningless if after the prayer is made, a person repeats the evil actions again and again. In order to be forgiven, firstly, a man has to realize the nature of his deed and learn the mistake from it, then make a resolution not to make that mistake again. Buddhist morality addresses a very common, yet crucial question: How can we judge if an action is good or bad? The answer is very simple. Greed, Hatred and Delusion are known as Three Evil Roots while Love, Charity, Wisdom are called Three good roots What are sins in Buddhist? - Killing of living beings - Taking what is not given (stealing) - False speech (lying) - Unlawful sexual intercourse ( Sexual misconduct) - Taking intoxicating drugs and liquor - Undutiful or disrespectful toward parents What are wholesome actions according to Buddhist? - Its certain that you do not commit the sins above - Being compassionate - Doing real charity Other viewpoints: - Real charity: You perform real charity when you can give freely without expecting anything in return. The Buddhist views charity as an act to reduce personal greed. A person who is on his way to spiritual growth must try to reduce his own selfishness and his strong desire for acquiring more and more. When giving, a person should not perform charity as an act of his body alone, but with his heart and mind as well. There must be joy as an act of giving. There are many things that a person can give. He can give material things: food for the hungry, and money or clothes to the poor. He can also give his knowledge, skill, time, energy, effort to projects that can benefit others. He can restrain

himself from killing other beings or donating blood. But the greatest testimony to the Buddhas great compassion is His priceless gift to humanity- the Dhamma which can liberate all beings from suffering - The Buddhist Attitude to animal life: Buddhists cannot accept that animals were created by someone for man. If animals were created for men then it could follow that men were also created for animals since there are some animals which eat human flesh Buddhists are encouraged to love all living beings and not to restrict their love only to human beings. They should practice loving kindness towards every living being Every religion advices us to love our fellow humans. But Buddhism is supreme in that it teaches s to show equal care and compassion for each and every creature in the universe. The Buddha was very clear in his in his teaching against any form of cruelty to any living being. Mans cruelty is proof of his uncontrolled greed. 3.2. Concrete heritage of Buddhist. The Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritage in 10 centuries CE In original, Buddhism came to Vietnam from India through maritime trade road. In Giao Chi, the mission of Indian Buddhist Monks developed that made a motivation to establish the Buddhism Center Luy Lau, the greatest and oldest Buddhism Center of Vietnam. From the 10th century, the Ngo, Dinh and Pre-Le Dynasties set the independence for the country. At that time, Northern Mahayana Buddhism was taking an important role in the social life. This was an origin of the development of Buddhism as a national religion. In Hoa Lu, the old capital of Vietnam under the reign of Dinh Dynasty, there were many famous pagodas that were built with special architectures, such as: Ba Ngo pagoda, Thien Ton pagoda, Nhat Tru pagoda, etc. There are old relics that remains till today, including Buddhist scriptures on stones and Buddhist scriptures carved on stone pillars. In the ancient Champa Kingdom, located in the Center of Vietnam, the 9th 10th centuries (under the rule of King Indravarman II) was the period that Buddhism flourished with the appearance of Dong Duong Buddhist Institute (in Dong Duong village, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province). Dong Duong contributed to the Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritages complex buildings and an unique sculpture style that showed characteristics of people in Champa. Two sculptures of Dong Duong Buddhist Institute that remain till today are the Buddha bronze

statue and the Tara Bodhisattva bronze statue. The two statues have been recognized to be Vietnam National Treasures by the Prime Minister The Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritage in the Ly Tran Dynasties (the 11th 14th centuries) In the Ly Tran Dynasties, Buddhism flourished and became the national religion. The religion affected many fields of social life and was a motivation that made the society developed. In the stage, there is one kind of meditation, called Truc Lam Zen, appeared. The Zen, established by King Tran Nhan Tong, showed the independence of the nation. Many pagodas were built, included national pagodas, such as: Bao Thien pagoda, Dam pagoda, Phat Tich pagoda, Long Doi pagoda, Boi Khe pagoda and Pho Minh pagoda. Buddhism of the period not only showed the Vietnamese indentity but received the elements of Champa culture that figures of Apsara, Garuda, Kinnari, Kim Cuong and musicians are evidences. The Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritage in the Le Trung Hung Tay Son Dynasties (the 17th 18th centuries) In the stage, many pagodas were restored or rebuilt, such as: Keo pagoda (Thai Binh), But Thap pagoda (Bac Ninh), Mia pagoda, Kim Lien pagoda, Tay Phuong pagoda and Boc pagoda (Hanoi), etc. Besides, the Buddhist cultural heritage in the period remains many sculptures, such as: the statue of Avalokitesvara with hundreds of arms and eyes in But Thap pagoda (Bac Ninh), Me So pagoda (Hung Yen); Tuyet Son statue in Tram Gian pagoda (Ha Noi); statues in Tay Phuong pagoda, for example: Three great Buddha statues, Di Da Tam Ton statues, Tuyet Son statue, Kim Cuong statue, the Nine grades lotus stupa in But Thap pagoda (Bac Ninh) and Cap Nhat pagoda and Giam pagoda (Hai Duong), etc. Especially, the statue of Avalokitesvara with hundreds of arms and eyes in But Thap pagoda and Canh Thinh bronze drum in the Tay Son Dynasty, kept in the Vietnam National Museum of History, are two national treasures, recognized in October 2012 by the Prime Minister. The artifacts introduced include: Canh Thinh bronze drum, Buddha statue, Shakyamuni statue, Manjushri Bodhisattva statue, Bodhidharma statue, Avalokitesvara sitting on the lotus base, baby Shakyamuni plated wooden statue, Kim Cuong ceramic statue and some worship objects as candlesticks and thuribles, etc. The Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritage in the Nguyen Dynasty (the 19th 20th centuries)

The Nguyen Dynasty maitained a large number of Buddhist cultural heritages that have been remained to today. Thousands of pagodas from the Northern to Southern of Vietnam were restored, bells were molded and statues were painted and many Buddhist scriptures were printed and Buddhist wooden pictures were carved. From the Gia Long Dynasty to the Duy Tan Dynasty, Hue became the economic and political center so Buddhism and pagodas developed. Beside restoring ancient pagodas as Thien Mu pagoda, Thanh Duyen pagoda, the Nguyen Kings encouraged people to build new pagodas, such as: Linh Huu pagoda, Giac Hoang pagoda and Dieu De pagoda, etc. Artifacts are displayed in the period, include: Buddha statues, Amitabha, Sakyamuni, baby Shakyamuni, Buddhist pictures and objects for worshipping, etc. 3.3. Intangible heritage of Buddhist. Buddhism came to Vietnam from the early time. Having the capability to combine the religion with life and accompany with the Vietnamese people, Buddhism not only integrates with the Vietnamese customs but also affects many fields of social life. Particularly, in the Ly Tran Dynasty, Buddhism became the national religion, affected thought, education, literature and arts of people in the country. The Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritage shows not only the characteristic of the Vietnamese culture but the cultural exchange in the region. Each pagoda is a famous landscape or an art museum. Parts of pagoda architecture, statues, pictures and objects of worship are wonderful artworks. So, the Vietnamese Buddhist cultural heritage has made worthy contributions to the Vietnamese culture. There are six of thirty artifacts belong to the Buddhist cultural heritage that the government accepts. With the perception that every object has a soul, since the ancient time, the Vietnamese people have worshiped a large number of gods, especially those related to agriculture such as sun, moon, land, mountain, river and forest, etc. Each ethnic minority in Viet Nam has its own way of practicing its traditional beliefs, most noticeably those maintained by some ethnic groups such as Tay-Thai, Hmong-Dao, Hoa-San Diu-Ngai, Cham-Ede-Gia Rai, Mon-Khmer. In addition, the most popular and time-honored custom of the Vietnamese people, including some ethnic minorities, is ancestor worship and commemoration of death anniversaries. Every Vietnamese family has an altar to worship their ancestors and attaches importance to the commemoration of death anniversaries of the predecessors.

Beside ancestor worship in each family and each clan, many villages have a communal house or a temple to worship the Village Deity. The custom of worshiping the Village Deity is a unique feature of Vietnamese villages. The Village Deity worshiped in the villages temple and communal house can be a god or an outstanding figure that rendered great service such as the forefather of a traditional handicraft or a national hero who greatly contributed to the cause of national building and fighting foreign invaders. The Vietnamese people also worship other gods like the Kitchen God and God of the Soil. Although according to a 1999 census most Vietnamese list themselves as having no religious affiliation, religion, as defined by shared beliefs and practices, remains an integral part of Vietnamese life, distorting the social behaviors and spiritual practices of Vietnamese individuals in Vietnam and abroad. The triple religion (Vietnamese: tam gio), referring to the synthetic combination of Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism remains a strong influence on the beliefs and practices of the Vietnamese, even if the levels of formal membership in these religious communities may not reflect that influence. One of the most notable and universal spiritual practices common to the Vietnamese is ancestor veneration, a practice shared by Chinese and most other Asian cultures. Practically all Vietnamese, regardless of formal religious affiliation, have an altar in their home or business where prayers are offered to their ancestors. These offerings and practices are done frequently during important traditional or religious celebrations (e.g., death anniversaries), the starting of a new business, or even when a family member needs guidance or counsel. Belief in ghosts and spirits is common; it is commonly believed that failing to perform the proper rituals for one's ancestors will cause them to become hungry ghosts. 4. Confucianism . 4.1. Confucianisms belief. What is Confucianism? I don't think that it is possible to give a definition of Confucianism in just a sentence or two. Confucianism is the ideology of a man whose name was Confucius. I know that this definition is vague at best, so in order to understand the definition of Confucianism we must know something about the man and look at his ideas. Confucius lived from 551-479 BCE. He was born in the small state of Lu that rose out of the remains of the Chou Dynasty. Being that he lived during the decline of the Chou period he was interested in bringing stability back into society. Confucius didn't have a

regular teacher but he managed to get an education none the less and grew to be a scholar. By the time he was in his twenties he had already begun to attract a small following of students. He worked in his own state of Lu as a clerk for a time accounting for grains and animals in the state. In his thirties or forties he traveled to the capital of the state of Chou where he is said to have met with Lau Tsu the father of Taoism. At that time Lao Tsu worked in the archives in Chou and Confucius went there to consult him on ceremonies. It is interesting to note that Buddha, Lau Tsu and Confucius were all living at the same time. Confucius went through his life teaching his pupils part time and filling a variety of posts from clerk to advisor to a Minister of Public works. Many of his pupils went on to fill very high level jobs in government. Confucius was never extremely successful himself and by the time of his death, in 479 BCE, some say that he even thought of himself as a failure. This is because he never achieved a position in government that allowed him to put his ideas to work. He wanted to bring China back to the peaceful days of the "sage Kings". This was a time in Chinese History when Kings ruled peaceful organized kingdoms. They were peaceful because everyone knew their station in life and acted accordingly. During his life Confucius wrote two works and edited six others. He is said to have written the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Ten Wings of the Book of Changes better known as the I Ching. But this is subject to debate. What we know for sure of Confucius and Confucianism comes from three books, the most famous of which is called the Analects which is a book that was put together by his pupils some time after his death. The book contains conversations that he had with his students and advice that he gave to various rulers when he was working as an Advisor. The other two books are the Great Learning and the Doctrine of Mean. His works don't speak of spiritual beings, fate, or supernatural feats. They focus instead on the importance of education, morality, moderation, faithfulness, history and filial piety. So these works put together by his students are the basis of the concept of Confucianism Humanism and Honesty Confucianism is a humanist philosophy. This means that the belief system is based on the ability of human beings to have affect on their own lives. It is not a supernatural or necessarily spiritual belief system. Moreover, the Confucianist brand of humanism is not identical to that of the Renaissance where man was not to be the measure of all things. At the core of Confucianism is an emphasis on honesty. Five Constant Virtues -- or Wuchang -- guide honest behavior: humaneness, justice, propriety, knowledge and

integrity. Confucianists believe that all human beings have a responsibility to be honest with one another in their speech and behavior. Altruism and Political Responsibility Ren is the Confucianist belief that humans have an obligation to be altruistic. This is similar to the idea of reciprocity, that one should do unto others as one would like others to do unto them. Confucius also characterized Ren as the ability to love others, writing in his "Analects" that "It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get." There is also a political element to Ren, symbolized by the Confucianist belief that a political leader who lacks altruism will have a negative effect on people. Ritualized Living In Confucianism, living everyday life is considered a ritual -- a way of giving honor to oneself and to the higher order of things. The term "Li" is used in Confucianist philosophy to symbolize the proper way to live, which includes self-care, politeness and looking to the past for guidance. Confucianists believe that their ancestors as well as the leaders of past Chinese dynasties can serve as models for how to live. In the contemporary context, the idea of "filial piety" is the respect that should be shown to ancestors. Physical Symbols As a philosophy for living and not a necessarily religious-based practice, Confucianism does not deal with the identity of god. However, as the belief system has evolved and influenced other Eastern philosophies, including its contemporary Taoism, an emphasis has been placed on reclaiming some of the early symbols associated with Confucius and his teachings. Among these is the view on water's life-giving properties. Water represents purity and simplicity, and in this way it serves as a model for how Confucianists believe people ought to live. The idea is that human beings ought to find a balance between the inclination to do good and the suffering and evil present in the physical world. 4.2. How Confucianism affect the Vietnamese ideology? How confucianism affect the ideology of the Vietnamese The profound impact of Confucianism remains strong in Vietnam. Social order is defined by its principle as well as the rituals, deference and obedience.

Confucianism gave Vietnam a highly organized hierarchical society. Yet, while encouraging the improvement of the individual, it did also appeal his positive relationship with the community. In this sense, Confucianism is anti-individualistic. According to Confucianism, death does not mean the annihilation of man. Confucianists believe that, the spirit which wanders in space as an exile should be brought back to the family altar and be worshiped. Besides, filial reverence is the primary duty of all Confucianists. That the reason why, on all solemn occasions, the ancestral spirit is invoked and offered liquors, flowers and fruit, accompanied with prayers and incense. Confucianism is vividly seen throughout Vietnam in the Festival of the Arrival of Spring, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Children's Festival and the Festival of Tet. Tet is the festival of renewal and rebirth, or meditation and hope. With fireworks, ringing bells, beating tom-toms, toys and food, Tet is a big occasion in Vietnam. Many folk visit the pagodas to worship, burn Joss-sticks and sandalwood incense, with flowers, food and liquors placed also on the family altars. The other worship occasions involve the worship of the land. Such ceremonies include the festival of the beginning of plowing, the rice festival, the harvest festival and the festival of the first fruits. In spite of drought, war, foods the Vietnamese farmer never seems to lose faith in the land as he plows, plants, harrows, weeds and irrigates it. To express his thankfulness for such response, the land is given honor in seasonal festivals which expressing their hopes and efforts of the past and for the future. Such worship of the land has tended to create in the Vietnamese peasant an almost fanatical attachment to his birthplace which nourished him during his life. It is the combination of worship of the land and ancestor veneration that creates the sight of numberless graves being scattered throughout the farming areas of Vietnam. Besides, Confucianism has exercised a powerful influence in the formation of Vietnamese society where family is the basic unity. Thus, the three fundamental principles which govern Vietnamese women are the obedient to father until married, the obedience to husband while married, the obedience to eldest son when husband is dead. Due to this idea there has been strong discrimination in medieval Viet Nam . That leads to the fact that people (even nowadays) tends to wish for having sons intead of daughter. This is really a bad attitude and affect adversely to daily life. However, the value of Confucianism as a moderating influence upon social behavior is being rapidly superseded by the flexibility and openness in a developing society.

III. Conclusion.