Journal of Anthropology and Religious Studies

Some Issues on Ethnic Composition and Ethnic Classification in Our Country Today

Nguyễn Văn Minh — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Ethnic classification in our country has been officially conducted since the late 1960s, chaired by the Institute of Anthropology under the Social Sciences Committee (now the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences). On December 22, 1978, the Vietnam Social Sciences Committee and the Central Ethnic Committee submitted a report to the Prime Minister on the results of ethnic classification. Authorized by the Government Council, on March 2, 1979, the General Director of the General Statistics Office signed Decision No. 121-CCTK/PPCĐ, promulgating the "List of Vietnamese Ethnic Compositions" for unified use in the 1979 Population Census as well as in regular statistical work and related fields. The list of Vietnamese ethnic compositions is a significant contribution of the Vietnam Social Sciences Committee and the Central Ethnic Committee, specifically the Institute of Anthropology. However, due to certain subjective and objective factors, issues still arise regarding the ethnic names and the composition of some ethnic groups and local communities. Therefore, this article revisits and discusses aspects related to ethnic names, ethnic composition, and the work of ethnic classification in our country today.

Ethnic Minority Workers, Boarding Houses, and Landlords: An Understudied Research Topic

Vương Ngọc Thi — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

The relationship between ethnic minority workers and boarding house landlords in industrial zones plays a crucial role in the lives of these migrant laborers but remains understudied. Drawing on a literature review and field data collected in Bac Ninh in 2024, this study sheds light on the dual nature of this relationship: landlords both support workers by reducing rent and assisting during hardships, while also exploiting them economically and imposing cultural norms. Although finding boarding houses has become easier due to improved information networks, ethnic minority workers continue to live in low-quality conditions, which hinders their ability to accumulate social capital and integrate into urban areas. The article suggests further research directions on this topic to provide a scientific basis for policy solutions aimed at improving the lives of migrant workers and promoting sustainable urbanization.

Buddhism and Spiritual Repatriation in the Later Life of Vietnamese Australians

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study focuses on the phenomenon of Vietnamese Australians returning to Vietnam, particularly Ho Chi Minh City, to practice Buddhism after years of living abroad. Over the past decade, a considerable number of individuals who have acquired Australian citizenship and reached retirement age (55–60 years old) have chosen to repatriate to their homeland in search of a spiritual life. While they do not take full monastic vows, they primarily maintain the role of lay Buddhists, with a profound attachment to Buddhist teachings reflected in their daily practices. The research was conducted through qualitative interviews with these individuals, aiming to explore their motivations, the spiritual values they pursue, and the ways they apply Buddhist teachings to create meaning and peace in later life. The findings reveal that Buddhism plays a vital role as a source of spiritual support, fostering connected communities while offering a sense of fulfillment and serenity to returnees. This phenomenon clearly reflects the transnational dynamics of religion within the Vietnamese diaspora and contributes to enriching the contemporary landscape of Buddhism in Vietnam and simultaneously opens new directions for further research on lay Buddhist groups in the context of globalization.

The Relationship between Religious Beliefs and the Economic Activities of Hòa Hảo Buddhist Followers

Dương Hoàng Lộc — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

The Revival of Deity Worship in the Đổi Mới Period: A Study of Three Temples in Kim Lũy Village, Nghệ An Province

Chu Xuân Giao — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Since the implementation of Đổi Mới (Renovation), there has been a widespread phenomenon of restoring the worship of village deities in rural areas of Vietnam. Beyond repairing and rebuilding dilapidated places of worship, many communities have faced the complex challenge of recovering the identities and historical narratives of their deities. During the prolonged periods of war (1945-1980s), the prohibition of ritual practices, the destruction of temples and shrines, the loss of sacred objects, and the erosion of collective memory resulted in numerous villages losing accurate information about their worshipped figures. Kim Lũy village, the focus of this study, experienced the gradual dismantling of its ritual structures after 1945. Crucially, its hagiographic texts (thần tích) were lost, and no archival copies could be found. Consequently, despite preserving eighteen original royal decrees (sắc phong), villagers were unable to determine the names or deeds of the specific deities they once worshipped. By early 2020, after decades of dedicated searching and with the sustained perseverance of three generations of local intellectuals, the identities of the deities worshipped in the village’s three temples were finally clarified. This article elucidates the unique historical and cultural characteristics of Kim Lũy village in Nghệ An province and provides a detailed overview of its three temples and the successful revival of their deity worship in the period of Đổi Mới.

The Traditional Festival of Tho Ha Ancient Village: Cultural Values and Contemporary Issues

Hoàng Phương Mai — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

The article positions cultural values as the central analytical axis for reconstructing the traditional festival of the ancient village of Tho Ha across key dimensions: the value of preserving cultural space and collective memory, the value of indigenous belief practices, and the value of folk artistic expressions. Accordingly, the festival is interpreted as a “living heritage”, reflecting the adaptive capacity and flexible resilience of community culture within contemporary society. In the context of rapid socio-economic transformation and administrative boundary changes, the Tho Ha festival is facing multiple challenges: the erosion of sacredness and distortions in ritual practice; the commercialization and spatial transformation of the festival environment; pressures related to the environment, infrastructure, and public order; gaps within the management mechanism; and the potential loss of cultural identity. Responding to these practical demands, the article proposes several solutions aimed at safeguarding and promoting the festival’s values, ensuring harmony between tradition and modernity, and contributing to the preservation of the cultural identity of Tho Ha village in particular and the wider cultural landscape of the Kinh Bac region in general.