| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 東南亞學系 === 105 === Abstract
As long as there are Chinese living near those districts, those areas will contain Matzu Temple remnants. Matzu beliefs has become an important part of Chinese culture. Chinese migrated to Ho Chi Minh City at least three hundred years ago and although based on different blood lineage, they have acclimated and progressed in Ho Chi Minh City. Matzu ideologies although different from local beliefs are separated by geography, industry and the establishment of a different hall or organization. Therefore, it is often the construction of previous traditions and customs that allow beliefs to spread and adapt to that culture. In a big city like Ho Chi Minh City, there are about a hundred of Chinese temples and Matzu Temple accounts for one-third of the total.
Chinese in Ho Chi Minh City live mainly in district 5, where several of the main Matzu Temples including Suicheng Matzu Temple (Guangdong people's Hall), Xia Zhang Matzu Temple (Fujian people's Hall), and Hainan Matzu Temple (Hainan people's Hall) are located. They are all important artifacts throughout history. At the beginning of 2016, I went on a fieldwork project to investigate and conduct interviews. I found that, in addition to the Chinese, many Kinh people also go to worship at Matzu temple. They worshiped Matzu ideologies for various reasons. First, some people believe that the Matzu is the incarnation of a Bodhisattva, then they hope that the goddess can bless them to have children according to their desire. Second, some Kinh people consider Matzu as the mother of the Lady of the Realm (the goddess of Kinh people whose main temple is located in the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, An Giang Province). This symbol of the female deity attracts many believers. Therefore, the Kinh believers think there is a correlation between her and their fortune. Third, some Kinh people believe Matzu is the God of Wealth (a Chinese male god) and Matzu is beneficial for business. Many believers added a lot of functions to the Matzu ideologies. They provided this ideology with an attachment to a supernatural. Some of the Matzu faith is based on imagination or a required need. The Matzu of Kinh’s belief is very different from the traditional Chinese Matzu. The transformation of the Matzu faith is not mutually exclusive worldwide but a common localization effect.
Keywords: Ho Chi Minh City, Matzu, overseas Chinese, Kinh people, Vietnam
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