HANOI: Vietnam’s centuries-old practice of worshipping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms (Dao Mau Tam Phu), inscribed on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016, is increasingly going digital to reach broader domestic and global audiences.
Nguyen Duc Hien, a spiritual medium, researcher, and university lecturer, has pioneered the use of digital platforms to introduce the tradition to younger generations and international viewers, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.
Through YouTube and TikTok channels, Hien produces videos on the legend of Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh, ritual explanations, costumes and sacred objects, with each clip attracting thousands of views and positive interactions.
Former chairman of the Nam Dinh Association for the Preservation and Promotion of the Mother Goddess Worship Heritage, Nguyen Van Thu, said nearly all spiritual mediums now maintain an active social media presence to document rituals and community events.
Experts, however, have flagged risks in the digital shift.
Chief of Office at the Institute of Religious Studies, Hoang Kim Duc, warned that while digital technology expands reach, it also risks commercialisation and distortion of heritage values, with some exploiting the faith for profit or spreading misleading information online.
To counter this, he said the government and relevant agencies are advancing standardised digitalisation.
In former Nam Dinh province (now part of Ninh Binh province), the cradle of the tradition, the provincial People’s Committee approved a 2021 preservation and development plan focused on documenting, archiving and digitising relics to raise public awareness.
In early September, the Institute of Religious Studies successfully hosted the first annual forum on the worship rituals and is planning the 2026 edition, with participants from China, Japan, and South Korea taking part.
The institute is also drafting a proposal for a South-East Asian cultural museum featuring physical exhibits and virtual reality displays to showcase Dao Mau and Mother Goddess worship through immersive digital experiences. - BERNAMA-VNA
