Vietnamese ghosts

What it is

In Vietnamese tradition, spirits known as ma or vong are wandering souls that interact closely with the living. While ancestors die peacefully at home and receive proper burials and altar tablets, ghosts are thought to be individuals who perished prematurely, violently, or far from their households. These beings take many forms. Some are viewed as gentle or benevolent, while others inspire deep fear and danger. Souls that lack care or held unresolved anguish wander the land. Among them are hungry spirits, imagined as distorted figures with swollen bellies and narrow mouths, who roam like thieves looking for sustenance.

Where it comes from

The presence of wandering souls is traced to disruptions in the passage from living person to settled ancestor. When someone dies away from home, by suicide, or through sudden violence without proper funeral rites, their soul is believed to become trapped between realms. A major historical catalyst for ghost encounters was the Vietnam War. That conflict left thousands of casualties missing or hastily interred across gardens, paths, and farmland. Because their resting places remained unmarked and unvisited by family members, these fallen fighters were believed to linger as restless spirits across the countryside.

How it is done

People use several rituals to manage restless spirits. When passing a spot where a phantom was sighted or an unknown body is buried, travellers commonly burn incense sticks and say prayers. If a spirit causes trouble, households may hire a ritual specialist to recite incantations, known as cau chu, compelling the entity to depart. To prevent hungry ghosts from meddling or taking food, communities lay out offerings of sticky rice before major ceremonies and during funerals. Families also engage spirit mediums to communicate with lost souls and discover where missing relatives lie.

Tools and materials

Vietnamese spirit customs rely on physical goods to satisfy the needs of the dead. Souls in the next world are thought to require everyday items, including food, clothing, footwear, paper currency, and paper models of houses or bicycles. Sticky rice serves as a protective offering to keep hungry ghosts from snatching ceremonial items. At home, families maintain an ancestor altar holding commemorative tablets. Settling a soul requires a designated tombstone placed at a carefully chosen gravesite alongside the burning of fragrant incense sticks during prayers.

What it is for

Rites directed toward the dead seek peace for restless souls and safety for surviving relatives. People make offerings so that wandering spirits do not steal food or cause highway accidents by jumping in front of passing cars. By locating unmarked remains and holding reburials, families convert wandering phantoms into benevolent ancestors who protect the home and bring prosperity. In addition, ordinary people seek out mediums and fortune tellers who rely on spirits for guidance, hoping to gain clear insight regarding romantic dilemmas or family finances.

Who does it

Several figures mediate interactions with the spirit world. Everyday villagers and household members burn incense and set out rice offerings at roadside sites or during family rites. When more difficult disturbances occur, families turn to ritual specialists who recite specific incantations to drive ghosts away. Spirit mediums serve as bridges between realms, helping families locate missing relatives while also allowing wandering souls to find their kin. Fortune tellers similarly work alongside spirits, using the knowledge provided by these unseen entities to counsel visitors on financial affairs and courtship.

What people believe

Underlying these customs is the conviction that the dead maintain human needs, including food, clothing, and shelter. A soul that receives a proper resting place, grave markers, and a memorial tablet placed upon the household altar becomes an ancestor, continuously blessing descendants with good fortune. In contrast, spirits deprived of formal burials or burdened by unresolved grief remain tethered to the physical world. Those who lived unethically or starved become hungry ghosts with swollen bellies and narrow throats, driven by endless appetite to wander the countryside stealing what they find.

When it is done

Appeasing spirits occurs during life transitions and everyday travel rather than on a single fixed date. Offerings of sticky rice are prepared immediately before community rites and throughout funeral ceremonies to ensure hungry ghosts do not pilfer provisions. On an ordinary basis, villagers burn incense and whisper prayers whenever they pass known burial spots, unmarked graves, or road turns where spectral sightings regularly happen.

Compare and confuse

Vietnamese tradition draws a sharp line between ghosts and ancestors. Ancestors are deceased family members who passed away peacefully at home, received full funeral rites, and reside on the household altar where they aid their kin. Ghosts, by contrast, are unsettled spirits who suffered violent or untimely deaths away from home, lacking graves and memorial tablets.

Law and persecution

State authorities in Vietnam have historically opposed spiritual practices involving the dead. The Communist government viewed ideas about ghosts as backward and lacking moral discipline, leading officials to discourage commemoration rituals and suppress supernatural stories in public media. At the same time, the state participates in recovering deceased service personnel, organizing formal military funerals with honours for fallen soldiers recognized as patriotic martyrs.

Today

The legacy of the Vietnam War keeps ghost practices active in contemporary society. Countless missing soldiers remain buried in unmarked spots across fields, walking trails, and private gardens. Seeking spiritual closure, modern families regularly turn to spirit mediums to discover the location of lost relatives. Once identified, remains are exhumed and transported to ancestral villages for proper reburial, ending the soul's wanderings and bringing relief to living descendants.

Questions people ask about Vietnamese ghosts

Good reading and sources

• Ghosts in Vietnamese culture on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data