Jianhu Shifu visited Vietnam for the first time in December! We were there for seven days, giving shifu a basic understanding of the current development of Vietnamese Buddhism. We visited Ho Chi Minh City in the south, formerly known as Saigon, and the Da Lat mountain valley region.

Saigon, under French colonial rule, began capitalist development early and is now a highly modern city. Yet, it still retains alleyways, family-run small grocery stores, and street stalls reminiscent of Taiwan two or three decades ago. Vietnamese culture has been deeply influenced by both China and France, blending the East and West into a unique Vietnamese culture. For instance, Vietnamese people love coffee; you can find several cafes every block. They drink coffee from morning to night. Vietnamese vegetarian food is distinct from Chinese cuisine and is worth trying! Moreover, the cost of living in Vietnam is very affordable. A hearty meal in a decent mid-to-high-end vegetarian restaurant, including fresh coconut juice, costs only $6-7 US dollars per person.

Da Lat, situated at an altitude of 3,000 feet, offers a pleasant climate compared to the generally hot weather in Vietnam. It was once a vacation spot for emperors and the wealthy. With fertile land, it is a major producing region for Vietnamese coffee and tea. Da Lat also claims to be an origin of the famous Kopi Luwak (cat poop coffee).

Our primary focus was on visiting Vietnamese temples in the Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area and Da Lat region. We also gained an understanding of the horrific experiences of the Vietnam War, from the perspective of North Vietnam, leading to its eventual unification of this land. There were many orphans as a result of the war, some of which were adopted by Buddhist temples and later became important figures in today’s Vietnamese Buddhism.

Vietnam has been heavily influenced by both Mahayana Buddhism from China and Southeast Asian Buddhism. A significant portion of Vietnamese Buddhism stems from temples founded by Chinese monks from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. These temples preserve the structure and content of Chinese temple architecture but also exhibit some differences, such as the facial features of the Buddha statues, which have Vietnamese characteristics and differ from Chinese Buddha statues. Temples typically occupy large areas, with extensive courtyards and forest lands populated by statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats. Some temples also have valuable collections of exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings, and bonsai.

Most Chinese descendents here speak Cantonese, so the temples primarily use Cantonese. We also met several abbot monks who were actually Vietnamese but had ordained and trained in Chinese temples, adopting Chinese Buddhist services. Chinese temples primarily focus on reciting Buddha's name and holding Dharma ceremonies, with practically non-existent Zen meditation and occasional Dharma talks.

We also visited some important Vietnamese temples, such as the Truc Lam Zen Monastery in Da Lat. A thousand years ago, a distinguished Vietnamese Emperor, Tran Nhan Tong, renounced the throne to become a monk and founded the Truc Lam (“Bamboo Forest”) Zen sect. This is the newest and largest monastery of this Zen sect. Its lineage is from Chinese Chan Buddhism with Bodhidharma and the Sixth Patriarch Huineng as founding patriarchs. It has a serene Zen hall overlooking the lake beneath. The young monk in the guest hall could speak a little self-taught Chinese and expressed his desire to directly understand Chinese Buddhist scriptures. He took us to visit the inner courtyard where the monks practiced. There are 150 bhikkhus and 50 bhikkhunis, making it the largest Zen monastery in Vietnam. They have morning and evening sitting meditation sessions every day. We also learned that Zen monasteries are rare in Vietnam, and Buddhism there are mostly Pure Land temples, reciting Buddha's name.

Vietnamese temples are heavily influenced by China but have also developed architectural styles and cultures that differ from Chinese Buddhism. For example, the Phap Vien Minh Dang Quang in Ho Chi Minh City is a massive temple dedicated to Pure Land Buddhism, but the monks wear Theravada robes, baring a shoulder and with bare feet.

The Chua Linh Phuoc (“Spiritual Blessing Temple”) was initially decorated with broken porcelain tiles due to a lack of funds. Gradually, it developed into a vast temple complex, with both the inner and outer walls entirely covered in broken porcelain tiles, creating a unique style. Next to the temple is a Hell Realm, based on the Ksitigarbha Sutra. With dim lighting, it displays various hell scenes described in the sutra to warn people against committing evil deeds. It is like a Chinese-style ghost house.

There are many more facets of Vietnamese Buddhism and culture worthy of exploration. However, government control of religious activities is strict in Vietnam, so it seems that foreign monks have practically no opportunities to provide public Zen meditation and Dharma teachings to the vast number of Buddhists in Vietnam. This trip brings me renewed gratitude and feeling of being blessed that many of us live in conditions that allow us to freely propagate the Dharma and learn Zen meditation.