The fact that the communist government has eased its reigns over the last decade is evident not only with regard to economics, but with religion as well. There is also a freedom within religion itself.

That is, the majority of Vietnamese practice a fusion of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucian philosophy.

Catholicism is also practiced, especially in the north, though it varies somewhat from how it is practiced in the west. One family I visited described it as a combination of Mass and bible study with the Confucian system of living honestly and trustfully.

In the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam, one finds the stricter Theravada Buddhism practiced by the ethnic Khmer (Cambodian) culture. Teen-age ethnic Khmer boys move to the temples and train as monks. After a few years of residence, they may choose permanent monastic life or a return to the secular world of raising a family. Coexisting in the same region are Hinduism and Islam. Add to this the animist beliefs of the ethnic minorities and one finds a true variety of spiritual and philosophical practices embraced in Vietnam.