Hoa Hao
One of the six officially recognized religions in Vietnam, Hoa Hao is a Buddhist sect founded in 1939 by a mystic from southern Vietnam, Huynh Phu So (1919–1947), who claimed to be the apostle of a famous Buddhist monk. The religion emphasizes personal faith and simplicity of worship and, therefore, has no special places of devotion. Like other Vietnamese religions, Hoa Hao has been highly politicized. The Viet Minh, an umbrella group of communist organizations seeking to expel the French colonial administration of Indochina, considered the Hoa Hao a rival for the support of the poor peasants in the Mekong Delta in their struggle against the French. The Hoa Hao received political and military support from the Japanese during their World War II occupation of Vietnam and then fought alongside French colonial forces against the Viet Minh after political negotiations between the Viet Minh and the French broke down in 1946. As a result, the Viet Minh murdered So in April 1947.
During the U.S. War in Vietnam (1954–1975), the Hoa Hao raised an army and fought both the communist-backed guerrillas and South Vietnamese forces, but their numbers were greatly diminished in the 1950s. With the overthrow of Republic of Vietnam president Ngo Dinh Diem (1901–1963) in November 1963, the Hoa Hao revived as a political and military force in the Mekong Delta and by 1975, claimed to have one million adherents.
Following the reunification of the country in 1976, the relationship between the Hoa Hao and the victorious communist government that disarmed them, confiscated their properties, and banned the religion became tense. Because of their militant anticommunist activities and ties to foreign-based opposition groups, the Hoa Hao arguably have been the most persecuted of all Vietnam's religious groups, and thousands of members have been arrested since 1976. Hoa Hao followers continue to fight for religious freedom and autonomy from government control, including the right to ordain monks, perform rites, proselytize, and control church properties. While in May 1999 the government did allow 160 Hoa Hao delegates to hold a congress and gave the Hoa Hao official recognition, as of 2001 the government continued to limit religious autonomy. Relations between the Vietnamese government and the Hoa Hao remain tense and often deteriorate into armed clashes, such as the December 1999 confrontation between security forces and 300 followers. As of 2001, there were approximately two million adherents, roughly 1–2 percent of the Vietnamese population, though the government put the figure at 1.3 million.
Further Reading
Abuza, Zachary (2001) Renovating Vietnamese Politics in Contemporary Vietnam. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Tai, Hue-Tam Ho. (1983) Millenarianism and Peasant Politics in Vietnam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
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