IOverview
Cham Islam is the name commonly used in Vietnam for Cham people who follow Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school of law, like most Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia. They keep the five pillars, study and recite the Qur'an in Arabic, build mosques facing Mecca and maintain regular ties with the global Muslim community.
The state uses the term Hoi giao Islam to distinguish this branch from Hoi giao Bani, the Bani of the Cham in former Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. Both communities are Cham and both have Islamic roots, but they grew along different paths. The library gives each its own page and describes the differences without ranking them.
IIHistory
According to Vietnam's Government Committee for Religious Affairs, there are signs of Islam in Champa from the 10th century, but it did not spread widely while Brahmanism, Buddhism and indigenous belief remained dominant. After 1470 many Cham dispersed to Cambodia and the Malay world and came into close contact with Islam there. Most of today's Cham Muslims descend from groups who returned from Cambodia and settled along the Hau River, together with Malays, around Chau Doc from about 1840.
In Saigon and Gia Dinh, Muslim traders of Malay, Indonesian and Indian origin arrived from the late 18th century and built mosques, later joined by Cham from An Giang who came to work and settle. In Ninh Thuan, according to a study posted on the Nghien cuu Lich su site in 2013, Ma Thanh Lam of Phuoc Nhon village became the first local convert to Islam in 1959 while working in Saigon. The area's first mosque was built in 1962 in Van Lam village.
- About 1750The Mubarak mosqueBuilt at Chau Giang and rebuilt several times, most recently in 1965, according to the Dan toc va Mien nui newspaper in 2021.
- About 1840Settlement at Chau DocCham Muslims and Malays founded villages along the Hau River, according to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.
- 1890Al-Noor mosque, HanoiBuilt by Indian merchants on Hang Luoc Street and opened in 1890.
- 1935Jamia Al MusulmanA mosque on Dong Du Street in Saigon, built by the South Asian community.
- 1962First mosque in Ninh ThuanBuilt in Van Lam village, now part of Khanh Hoa province.
- 1989Mubarak becomes a national monumentRecognised as a national historical and cultural site.
IIIFaith and Distinctives
Cham Muslims believe in one God, Allah, in Muhammad as the final prophet and in the Qur'an as the word of God, together with the six articles of faith shared by all Sunnis. The rules of daily life, from prayer and fasting to marriage and burial, follow the Shafi'i school.
What sets this branch apart from the Cham Bani is that every adult believer personally keeps the five pillars, and rites follow the Hijri calendar shared across the Muslim world. The Qur'an is studied in Arabic to international standards. Historically the An Giang community used many religious books written in Malay in Jawi script, Arabic letters adapted for Malay, and ties with Malaysia and Indonesia remain strong through study, books and visits.
IVRitual and Daily Life
Cham Muslims pray five times a day, and men attend Friday midday prayer at the mosque. During Ramadan every healthy adult fasts from dawn to sunset. The main festivals are the feast ending the fast, which the Cham call Hari Raya, Hari Raya Haji during the pilgrimage season, and the celebration of Muhammad's birthday. Each year some members of the community make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Children learn Arabic script and the Qur'an at the mosque or at a smaller prayer house, the surau. Food follows halal rules. Women usually cover their hair. Cham Muslim villages in An Giang are built of stilt houses along the river, around a mosque at the heart of community life.
Outsiders often call every Cham place of worship a Muslim pagoda or Cham pagoda. A Cham Muslim mosque, the masjid, has a dome with a crescent and star and faces Mecca. The Cham Bani place of worship, the Sang Mugik, differs in design and orientation. They are two kinds of building belonging to two communities.
VRecognised Organisations
Each mosque has a management board headed by a Hakim, with officers such as the Imam who leads prayer, the Khatib who preaches and the Bilal who gives the call to prayer. At provincial level there are community representative boards. According to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, Islam proper had more than 60 places of worship in 14 provinces and cities in 2021.
| Organisation | Year recognised |
|---|---|
| Muslim Community Representative Board of Ho Chi Minh City | 1992 |
| Muslim Community Representative Board of An Giang | 2004 |
| Muslim Community Representative Board of Tay Ninh | 2010 |
| Islam Muslim Community Representative Board of Ninh Thuan | 2012 |
| Management Board of the Al-Noor Mosque, Hanoi | 2013 |
VIToday
Official figures cited by VietNamNet on 20 July 2025 give more than 37,000 followers of Islam proper as of June 2025. The Government Committee for Religious Affairs gave about 32,000 for 2021. The largest concentration is around Chau Doc, Tan Chau and An Phu in An Giang, followed by Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and former Ninh Thuan.
The Mubarak mosque at Chau Giang, Chau Phong commune, is the heart of the An Giang community and has been a national monument since 1989. In Ho Chi Minh City, Jamia Al Musulman on Dong Du Street draws large Friday congregations of both Cham and foreign Muslims. In Hanoi, the Al-Noor mosque serves Vietnamese Muslims and the international community. Many young Cham Muslims study religion in Malaysia, Indonesia or the Middle East and return to teach.
VIISymbol of the Branch
Crescent and star on mosque roofs
VIIIOther Branches of Islam
Sunni Islamأهل السنة والجماعة Ahl al-Sunna wa al-JamāʿaThe largest branch.Uses the common symbol of the path
Twelver Shia Islamاثنا عشرية Ithnā ʿAshariyya, also Imāmiyya or JaʿfariyyaThe largest Shia branch.Zaydi Shia Islamالزيدية al-ZaydiyyaA Shia branch named after Zayd ibn Ali (d.Uses the common symbol of the path
Ismaili Shia Islamالإسماعيلية al-IsmāʿīliyyaSeparated in 765 by recognising Isma'il, son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, as successor.Ibadi Islamالإباضية al-IbāḍiyyaA third branch, neither Sunni nor Shia.Uses the common symbol of the path
Sufismتصوف TaṣawwufNot a third branch beside Sunni and Shia but an inner, devotional dimension present in both.Cham IslamIslam, termed Hoi giao Islam in official documentsCham Muslims in Vietnam following Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school.Cham BaniBani, Awal. Termed Hoi giao Bani in official documentsA distinct form among the Cham of former Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, rooted in Islam and blended with Cham tradition.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
- Ban Tôn giáo Chính phủ, Khái quát Hồi giáo ở Việt Nam
- VietNamNet, 16 tôn giáo được công nhận tại Việt Nam, 20/7/2025
- Báo Dân tộc và Miền núi, Thánh đường Hồi giáo Mubarak, 19/4/2021
- VOV5, Thánh đường Hồi giáo Mubarak
- Nghiên cứu Lịch sử, Sự phát triển của đạo Islam ở người Chăm thuộc hai tỉnh Ninh Thuận và Bình Thuận, 2013
- Hà Nội Mới, Thánh đường Al-Noor, 8/6/2025
- Tia Sáng, Kiến trúc tôn giáo Chăm, 2014
?Quick Questions
How does Cham Islam differ from Cham Bani?
Cham Islam follows Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school, with every believer keeping the five pillars and rites following the Hijri calendar. Cham Bani has its own form, in which Acar clergy keep the Ramuwan fast on behalf of the community and rites follow the Cham calendar. The library describes the differences without judging either.
How many Cham Muslims are there in Vietnam?
More than 37,000 as of June 2025, according to official figures cited by VietNamNet on 20 July 2025. In 2021 the Government Committee for Religious Affairs recorded about 32,000.
What is the best known mosque in An Giang?
The Mubarak mosque at Chau Giang, Chau Phong commune, on the Hau River. It was built around 1750, last rebuilt in 1965, and recognised as a national monument in 1989.
Do Cham Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca?
Yes. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars, and every year some members of the community make it when they are able.