Buddhism-based charity, philanthropy, and social work: A lesson from Vietnam

Abstract

Private and public social services, including social work centers, are limited to disadvantaged Vietnamese people, such as orphans and people with HIV/AIDS. Buddhism-based organizations (BBOs) have been acknowledged as an avenue to extend social services in Vietnam. This article reviews the social service system and BBOs in Vietnam using secondary data and findings from an empirical study on Buddhist charitable giving. A proposed model linking BBOs to social work centers seeks to improve the efficacy and effectiveness of service delivery.