Professionalizing Engaged Buddhism in Contemporary Vietnam

Abstract

In the 1960s, Thích Nhất Hạnh formulated his vision of engaged Buddhism in war-torn Sài Gòn. His approach continues to inspire a new generation of urban Buddhists who are reshaping what engaged Buddhism can mean in contemporary Hồ Chí Minh City. Drawing on extensive fieldwork from 2016 to 2019, this article examines continuities and changes in institutionalized Vietnamese engaged Buddhism. It argues that contemporary engaged Buddhism, while continuing Thích Nhất Hạnh’s vision, must respond to a market-socialist regime of political and financial regulations, leading to the rise of more industrialized and professionalized forms of Buddhist social engagement.