2023-10-01 16:51:39
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Not far from the laughing colleague sleeping peacefully on the roof of the Vinh Trang Temple. © mauritius images / Alamy Stock Photos / mvlampila
Vietnam has discovered a lucrative business in Buddhism. Even non-religious locals visit the temples in the hope of benefiting from them. The temples always do it.
As Tom enters Vinh Trang Pagoda, his voice is full of pride. The tour guide, who has to explain to guests from Japan, Germany and India what is so special about this Buddhist site in the Mekong Delta, talks more about superlatives than anything religious: “This is the oldest pagoda in the area, it has been standing since then 1849, was expanded in 1907. It is also striking for the size of the complex.” The architectural mix between Western, Cambodian and Vietnamese styles also stands out. “You won’t find a pagoda like this anywhere in the country!”
Tom’s home country of Vietnam was a colony of France from 1877 until the Second World War, which is what the western ornamented facades are inspired by. The yellow paint is an influence from neighboring Cambodia. This temple is also outstanding because it shows 60 golden Buddha statues, as well as some huge, oversized Buddhas on the roofs of several buildings. And for Buddhist travelers such special features are a sensation. Or at least for those who like to feel Buddhist.
And there are more and more of them. “It’s mainly Vietnamese tourists who come here,” says Tom with a grin as he stands in front of a laughing Buddha statue. Visitors from other countries were less interested: “Filipinos are Catholics, they care less about that. Visitors from Indonesia and Malaysia are mostly Muslims, so they don’t really care.” But for people from Vietnam, a pagoda like this is fascinating. “They love them.” And Tom explains: This in turn is important for the temple operators. “It’s also about business.”
I’m sorry, what? Yes, nods the tourist guide and points to the statue of the laughing Buddha behind him: “This statue here, for example, is still relatively new, built in 2003, financed, as usual, by donations from local companies and visitors.” The volume of donations is important, so it is generous afterwards could be built. Because the bigger, more beautiful and more special a pagoda is, the more people come from near and far to see it.
“And when they’re here, they donate money,” says Tom. “Usually you give two dollars, five, ten or even 20.” In a country where annual economic output per capita is around $3,700, these are significant values. But Buddhism is booming.
Oversized and laughing in front of the Vinh Trang Temple in My Tho.) © mauritius images / photononstop
Or should one better say that it is primarily the buildings that are booming? In any case, this has been discussed for some time: the increase in temple complexes that are setting new records. The online portal “The Vietnamese” devoted a lengthy article to this topic in June, asking: “How many Buddha statues in Vietnam are vying for the title of being the largest? Why is it a trend to build gigantic Buddha statues?”
The article from “The Vietnamese” lists only ten of the most impressive facilities. The superlatives reveal a lot of creativity: They range from the highest Buddha statue in Southeast Asia at 73 meters to “the largest Shakyamuni statue in Vietnam carved into a rock” to the “largest reclining wooden Buddha statue in the state of Nirvana.” Who that reads, one could suspect a hyper-religious society in Vietnam. But Tom weighs it down: “I visit pagodas regularly, but I’m not a Buddhist,” he says, as if it were self-evident.
In order to have good karma, he just keeps following the doctrine: “Do good things so that good things happen to us later.” In this respect, Tom is even an average Vietnamese. Only around four percent of the population see themselves as devoutly Buddhist. And this is an increasing trend, because until the 1990s religion was still strictly controlled by the ruling Communist Party.
The time for control is over, says Dung Ngoc Duong, philosophy professor at Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City in the south of the country: “Religion is actually not particularly important to the people in Vietnam,” he says in the auditorium of his university Center of the city and smiles. “But you can say this: religion has become a supermarket. You can supposedly buy anything you want.”
Calmly stoned at the Tà Cú mountain resort and temple. © mauritius images / Danita Delimo
Dung observes a vulgarization of religion, especially in connection with Buddhism, whose roots in the country go back particularly far: “At a new temple near here, where a lot of money was invested in the facility, they asked me whether I would He wanted to become a supreme monk.” Because he had a doctorate in religious philosophy, he could certainly attract a lot of people, it was said. “I could say anything I wanted. So this whole thing is a huge deal!”
Duong Ngoc Dung rejected the offer, saying he was outraged. But he could have made a lot of money, as the case of another professor shows: “The most popular monk in the country is called Thich Truc Thai Minh, a really good-looking guy,” reports Dung. “He was previously an economics professor and no one understood why he suddenly became a monk and then immediately became the head of a large pagoda in northern Vietnam.” But within a short time, the revenue from his pagoda increased to 50 billion dong (around 1.9 million euros ) has been increased tenfold.
How did he manage that? The temple became an oasis of entertainment, enjoyment and advice. “They now run a luxurious restaurant there,” reports Duong Ngoc Dung, shaking his head in disbelief. “The monk also tells sick people that they have evil spirits in their family and then offers appropriate services.” Does that have anything to do with Buddhism?” The religion professor waves him off. “That’s just bullshit!”
But it is economically successful. The liberalization of religions from the 1990s onwards is not the only thing responsible for the flourishing business with Buddhism. Equally important was the economic reform under the banner of Doi Moi (Renewal) in the 1980s. Despite the communist government, it allowed private business activities – and thus also made religion a potential business.
Sitting comfortably in the cave of the Chua Hang Pagoda. © mauritius images / Christoph Moh
“After the Doi Moi reforms, a lot of religious activities flourished,” remembers Duong Ngoc Dung. Since then, it has become more difficult to clearly distinguish between religion and superstition. “Today the reason for everything people do is money. Even with all the giant statues and stuff.” One can argue about whether the development of religions here is positive or not, says Dung. “But the fact is: This type of religion is growing very quickly.”
This is also evident in Café Anh in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Pham Thi Ngoc Anh, who founded the café with her husband, is currently planning to expand abroad ( see FR of September 14th, note d. editorial staff ). And in order to achieve this, she will soon be traveling north, to Hanoi, 1,600 kilometers away: “In the north there is a pagoda for people who have founded their own company,” says the 41-year-old. “People go there regularly and ask for good business.”
Pham Thi Ngoc Anh also emphasizes that he is not particularly religious. But some norms should be respected. And if you can buy yourself a bit of happiness – why not? “We realize it’s not science,” she says, smiling a little sheepishly. “At the end of the year we have to come back to the pagoda and say thank you. Because if something goes wrong, it could be because we weren’t grateful.”
And she travels to the far north because there is a particularly suitable temple there. A particularly large, beautiful one. And that is always better.
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