The long historical belief in Animism and ancestor worship together with Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism in Vietnam has had a tremendous influence on the country’s folk art. It has become a kind of syncretic art because the Vietnamese do not make the distinction between the secular and sacred as clearly or precisely as most Westerners do in viewing the common strands of religion in Vietnam. Traces of Animism in Vietnamese folk art is mostly found in decorative objects located in major religious places. The belief in good and evil spirits created many forms of good and evil deities because these beliefs hold that all phenomena and forces in the universe are controlled by spirits.

Before the 20th Century, the Vietnamese did not perceive Animism as defined by Edward Burnett Taylor; they used the term “vật linh” (sacred animals) or “vật thiêng” (mascots) to describe it. Animism in the Vietnamese context manifests in animals, objects, weapons, ritual implements, sacrifice, tree stumps, rocks, or the things and phenomena of nature, such as rain, wind, thunder and lightning (Dinh Hong Hai, 2018). This paper examines the historical contexts and the influence of Animism in Vietnamese folk art. It also shows how Vietnamese folk art has been shaped by Animism and how the arts changed during a period of economic development and modernization, known as “doi-moi”, in Vietnam after 1986.

Contents:
1) The Appearance of Animism in Vietnamese Folk Art
2) Conception and Classification of Vật linh in Vietnam
3) Popular Animism in Vietnamese Folk Art
4) The change of Animism in Vietnamese Folk Art after "doi-moi"

*This presentation was delivered by Professor Hai Dinh of Vietnam National University at SEAMEO SPAFA's programme activity, "Animism in the Arts of Southeast Asia", which took place at Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand from 8-9 August 2019. For more details on this event, visit the SEAMEO SPAFA website at: http://www.seameo-spafa.org/animism-in-the-arts-of-southeast-asia/