Young men and women flocked to a pagoda in central Hanoi on Wednesday, Memorial Day. Valentine’s DayQuestions Buddha Helping you find a partner, which is a priority for many Vietnamese people.
Office worker Nguyen Thi Ly respectfully placed a tray of sweets, water, roses and money – fake dong (local currency) and US dollar bills – on the altar of Ha Pagoda.
“Buddha, please help me. “I want to get a girlfriend this year so I can stop being single,” he murmured at the altar, which was already filled with dozens of other similar trays.
Vietnam is a communist state, but Buddhist and Confucian traditions remain strong.
Many people pray for peace, happiness and prosperity on the first, middle and last days of the lunar month.
While Valentine’s Day has its roots in Christianity, in recent years Vietnamese people have increasingly been celebrating the occasion and seeking divine intervention in their love lives.
“It’s a spiritual process, but it shows that young people have become unsure about how to find their significant other,” says educational psychology expert Tran Thanh Nam.
Social and family pressure
Nguyen Van Duong is very focused on his work as a doctor and is single at 30 years old. His marital status worries both his parents and him.
“My parents are getting older every day. They just want me to get married and have children,” Duong explains.
Marriage and family have traditionally been highly valued in Vietnamese society, increasing pressure on young people to marry and have children.
The legal marriage age is 18 for women and 20 for men, but like many increasingly urban and educated societies, few Vietnamese settle down that early.
In 2022, the average age at marriage was just under 30, according to official information from state media.
Work and the usual distractions of the 21st century – smartphones, the internet and social media – are eroding young people’s social skills, says psychology expert Nam.
“They became robots,” he told AFP.
This may partly explain the appeal of supernatural assistance.
“I prayed in this pagoda five times and asked for a partner,” says Nguyen Thi Trinh, 26 years old. “I think I will be blessed with a girlfriend this year. So my family will no longer ask: ‘When are you getting married?’” he concludes.
SPRING: AFP
