A Buddhist monk in robes stood at the door looking into the distance

Buddhist monk standing at door
Buddhist monk gazing into the distance

Within the courtyard of Wen Ling Hui Guan in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cholon district, a monk stood quietly beneath carved wooden beams and a tiled roof. Clad in saffron robes and wearing modern eyeglasses, he seemed to straddle two worlds — one rooted in the present, the other carrying the weight of a thousand years.

Vietnam is a socialist country, yet it allows for freedom of religion. As you walk through the streets, you see not only Buddhist temples but also the steeples of Catholic churches, as well as sanctuaries of indigenous faiths like Cao Dai and Hoa Hao. Belief here is not suppressed; rather, it breathes gently within the rhythms of daily life.

I was reminded, suddenly, of Karl Marx’s oft-misunderstood phrase: “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” The line is frequently misread as an outright condemnation, yet its essence is far more nuanced — an observation that in suffering, people reach for religion as a source of solace. If a drug can destroy, perhaps faith can do the opposite: uphold, reconnect, and bind the self back to the world.

Quan Am Temple on Google Map
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Jun 2009 PEOPLE VIETNAM

PHOTO DATA

No

2861

Shooting Date

Mar 2009

Posted On

June 5, 2009

Modified On

June 16, 2025

Place

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Genre

Street Photography

Camera

CANON EOS 1V

Lens

EF85MM F1.2L II USM

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