IOverview
This page is not about a school but about the shape Taoism takes in Vietnam. Taoism arrived very early, had temples built by the court and was once part of the civil examinations. Unlike Buddhism, however, it never built a church of its own. It dissolved into folk religion, into Dao Mau, into the work of ritual masters and into the divination arts Vietnamese use every day.
Today Taoism can be seen in three places. First, the temples of the ethnic Chinese community, most clearly Khanh Van Nam Vien in Cho Lon. Second, the ritual masters of the countryside, including the Lushan tradition of Hokkien Chinese in Chau Doc. Third, countless customs whose Taoist roots are forgotten: star rites to avert a bad year, the Kitchen God, house charms and bagua mirrors.
IIHistory
English Wikipedia dates Taoism's arrival to the first period of Chinese rule. After independence, the Ly and Tran dynasties treated Taoism with considerable respect. An article by Hoang Thi Thu Huong and Pham Minh Phuong in issue 12 of the Religious Studies Review in 2021, drawing mainly on the Complete Annals of Dai Viet, lists many specific dates.
- 1011Thai Thanh PalaceLy Thai To builds the Thai Thanh palace.
- 1027A robe for a TaoistThe king gives his own robe to Tran Tue Long, a Taoist of the Nam De temple.
- 1031Taoists receive registersThe court permits Taoists to receive registers.
- 1102Three new templesLy Nhan Tong builds the Khai Nguyen, Thai Duong and Bac De temples.
- 1195Three-teachings examinations beginSuccessful candidates gain official standing. Under Tran Thai Tong in 1247 the exam continues.
- 1302Hua Tong Dao arrivesA Taoist from the north arrives on a merchant ship and serves Tran Nhat Duat. The annals say talismanic rites flourished from then, though the authors think the date is confused.
- 1930sKhanh Van Nam VienMasters from the Qingyun Cave in Guangdong come to Saigon, moving to the present District 11 site in 1942.
From the Le dynasty onward, Confucianism became the court's governing ideology and Taoism retreated into popular life. From then on Taoism in Vietnam survived mainly through temples, through ritual specialists and through native cults that borrowed from it.
IIIThree Forms of Presence
- Chinese community temples. According to Duong Hoang Hai Binh in issue 1 of the Religious Studies Review in 2018, Khanh Van Nam Vien at 269/2 Nguyen Thi Nho Street, District 11, is the only place of formal Taoist practice in the Chinese community. All its priests are ethnic Chinese. It honours Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism together, and its biggest festival is for the immortal Lü Dongbin.
- The Lushan tradition in Chau Doc. English Wikipedia records Lushan practices among Hokkien Chinese in Chau Doc. Lushan is a folk ritual tradition of southern China, close to talismanic practice.
- Folk ritual masters. English Wikipedia notes that most practitioners outside the Chinese community are ritual masters rather than members of any religious body. They use petitions in Chinese characters, charms and Taoist ritual tools, learn orally and mix many sources.
IVTraces in Daily Life
The library's main article on Taoism lists many places where Vietnamese meet Taoism without naming it. At home there are the Kitchen God, the Earth God, the God of Wealth and the New Year star rites. Temples carry the word quan, as in Tran Vu Quan and Bich Cau Dao Quan. The full moons of the first, seventh and tenth lunar months were once the Taoist Three Primes, though many now read the seventh month in the Buddhist sense of Vu Lan.
Both Dao Mau and Caodaism show Taoist influence, according to English Wikipedia. Dao Mau borrows its system of palaces, written petitions and charms. The writing of scholars such as Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Binh Khiem carries a Laozi and Zhuangzi flavour. The whole system of date selection, orientation and feng shui rests on a yin yang and five phases cosmology tied to Taoism.
Vietnamese often use the words Taoist priest and sorcerer interchangeably. A Taoist priest in the proper sense has been ordained in a Taoist lineage, with a master, a register and precepts. A village sorcerer is usually an independent practitioner who learned orally. The two roles are not the same.
VLegal Status
According to figures announced on 1 August 2025 at the seventieth anniversary of state religious administration, organised by the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, Vietnam recognises 16 religions with 43 religious organisations and over 27.7 million followers. Taoism is not on that list. Khanh Van Nam Vien operates under the Chinese Buddhist community within the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, according to the Religious Studies Review in 2018. The Quan Thanh temple and Bich Cau Dao Quan in Hanoi are heritage sites and are not attached to any Taoist organisation.
VIToday
Taoism in Vietnam today has no church, no membership count and no body of Vietnamese priests trained in a formal lineage. Khanh Van Nam Vien remains active and is known for its charity. The 2018 article reports a free clinic seeing about a hundred patients a day, a home for the elderly and houses built for the poor. According to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper in 2025, the temple supports more than twenty thousand people a year through its free clinic and heart surgery for poor children.
Meanwhile, practices of Taoist origin such as date selection, star rites and feng shui remain widespread, through books, social media and consulting services. Those involved rarely call themselves Taoist. That may be the most characteristic feature of Taoism in Vietnam: wide influence, blurred identity.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIISub-branches
- Chinese community temples
- Lushan sect in Chau Doc
- Folk ritual masters
IXOther Branches of Taoism
Zhengyi Dao正一道Descends from Zhang Daoling's Way of the Celestial Masters of 142 CE.Quanzhen Daoism全真道Founded by Wang Chongyang in 1167 in Shandong.Uses the common symbol of the path
Longmen Daoism龍門派The largest Quanzhen line, honouring Qiu Chuji as patriarch, centred on the White Cloud Monastery.Shangqing Daoism上清派 茅山Formed around scriptures recorded by Yang Xi in 364 to 370, with Lady Wei Huacun as first matriarch.Uses the common symbol of the path
Lingbao Daoism靈寶派Began around 400 CE with scriptures compiled by Ge Chaofu in 397 to 402.
Wudang Daoism武當派Tied to Mount Wudang in Hubei and the cult of Zhenwu, the Dark Warrior.Jingming Daoism淨明道, full name 淨明忠孝道Honours Xu Xun of the Jin as first patriarch and took shape in the Southern Song.Uses the common symbol of the pathTaoism in VietnamTemples, ritual masters and cults shaped by TaoismNot a school but the form Taoism takes in Vietnam.Uses the common symbol of the pathXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
- Wikipedia, Taoism in Vietnam
- Hoàng Thị Thu Hường, Phạm Minh Phương, Đạo giáo ở Việt Nam thời Lý, Trần qua một số tác phẩm Hán Nôm tiêu biểu, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Tôn giáo số 12 năm 2021
- Dương Hoàng Hải Bình, Đạo giáo trong cộng đồng người Hoa, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Tôn giáo số 1 năm 2018
- Người Lao Động, Khánh Vân Nam Viện: Hành trình gần 100 năm giữ hồn Đạo, 2025
- Vạn Đạo Đường, bài chính Đạo Giáo, mục Tại Việt Nam
?Quick Questions
Does Vietnam recognise Taoism
No. According to figures published on 1 August 2025, Vietnam recognises 16 religions and Taoism is not among them. Taoism lives on through Chinese temples, ritual masters and folk religion.
Where is the largest Taoist temple in Vietnam
Khanh Van Nam Vien at 269/2 Nguyen Thi Nho Street, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. It dates from the 1930s, moved to its present site in 1942 and honours Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism together.
Was there Taoism under the Ly and Tran dynasties
Yes. According to the Complete Annals of Dai Viet, Ly Thai To built the Thai Thanh palace in 1011, Ly Nhan Tong built three temples in 1102, and three-teachings examinations began in 1195.
Is a village ritual master a Taoist priest
Not quite. A Taoist priest in the strict sense is ordained in a Taoist lineage and keeps precepts. Vietnamese village ritual masters usually learn orally and work independently.