Buddhism in Vietnam - Foundations

Foundations

Buddhism came to Vietnam in the 1st or 2nd century AD through the North from central Asia and China and via the South from India trade routes. By the end of the 2nd century, Vietnam developed a major Buddhist centre (probably Mahayana) in the region, commonly known as the Luy Lâu centre, now in the Bắc Ninh province, north of the present day capital city of Hanoi . Luy Lâu was the capital of Giao Chỉ, (the former name of Vietnam), and was a popular place visited by many Indian Buddhist missionary monks to China. The monks followed the sea route from the Indian sub-continent to China used by Indian traders. A number of Mahayana sutras and the Agamas were translated into Chinese script at that centre, including the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters and the Anapanasati.

Over the next eighteen centuries Vietnam and China shared many common features of cultural, philosophical and religious heritage. This was due to geographical proximity to one another and Vietnam being annexed twice by the Chinese. Vietnamese Buddhism is closely related to Chinese Buddhism in general, and to some extent reflects the formation of Chinese Buddhism after the Song Dynasty. Theravada Buddhism would become incorporated through the annexation of the Khmer land and Khmer people.