Article: The influence of taoism on the folk beliefs of the vietnamese

The traditional culture of Vietnam, in addition to typical indigenous folk beliefs, also includes three systems of ideas imported from outside Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. In those three ideological systems, Buddhism and Confucianism are very easy to evaluate and comment on, because the two religions have been “used” by the feudal Vietnamese dynasties and respect is the “national religion”; such as Buddhism under the Ly Dynasty and Tran Dynasty; Confucianism under the Le Dynasty and Nguyen Dynasty. Particularly for Taoism, its influence was mainly on the folk, living with the common class in society. To consider correctly, few documents can be as authentic as Confucianism and Buddhism, when the activities of these two religions were well documented. However, the influence of Taoism on Vietnamese culture is undeniable. Based on researching ancient documents, and actual surveys in the provinces and cities of Vietnam, this research focuses on studying the influence of Taoism on the folk beliefs of Vietnamese in 3 beliefs: (1) Belief in worshiping the ancestors; (2) Belief in worshiping the Mother Goddess; (3) Belief in worshiping the village’ Tutelary god.