Spreading the beauty of Mother Goddess worship culture through tourism
To spread the beauty of Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship to tourists and build a unique tourism product for the capital, experts and travel companies experiment new tour to Phu Tien Huong, Phu Cat Commune, Hanoi.
THE HANOI TIMES — When German tourist Isabel Weitschies watched the hau dong (mediumship) ceremony at Phu Tien Huong (Tien Huong Palace) in Hanoi's Phu Cat Commune, she clapped her hands to the rhythm of the music, joyfully receiving the blessings from the medium.
She joined the Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship like a true local.
Artisan Nguyen Duc Hien explains to visitors about Phu Tien Huong's architecture and the basics of Mother Goddess worship. Isabel Weitschies wears pink dress standing in the last row behind him. Photos: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
Talking to The Hanoi Times, Isabel Weitschies said that when seeing a spirit mediumship the first time in Vietnam, she was impressed by the sacredness and joy of the ritual though she didn’t understand what it’s about.
After learning more about it, she liked it even more, as practicing Mother Goddess worship allowed her to learn more about Vietnamese culture and history. Most of the deities honored are associated with history, as national heroes or guardian gods.
With that passion, she has completed a master's program on Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship and is continuing to research her doctoral thesis.
“Coming to Phu Tien Huong, I can learn more about Mother Goddess worship from artisan Nguyen Duc Hien and take part in the joyful, sacred hau dong performance,” she said.
Dedicated to Mother Goddess worship
Phu Tien Huong was founded in 2013 by artisan Hien. It took him three years to complete. The temple is dedicated to the deities of the Four Palaces, with Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh as the central figure.
With a vision of creating a sacred yet welcoming space, he designed the temple in a traditional layout, including the main hall and two side houses devoted to deities, village guardians and ancestors.
Artisan Nguyen Duc Hien introduces costumes used in Mother Goddesses worship.
The main worship hall has two floors. The first combines classical and modern elements, serving as both a display space for sacred objects and a reception area for visitors. The second houses the altar complex, featuring five compartments decorated with hoanh phi (lacquered boards), parallel sentences and cua vong (carved altar screens) in traditional style.
In January 2024, Phu Tien Huong was recognized by the Vietnam Records Organization as the “Mother Goddess temple with the most unique system of altar screens, richly decorated with celestial, deity, and saint images.” Earlier, in October 2023, the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations acknowledged the site as a “Cultural and Spiritual Heritage.”
Tourism potential
To promote the cultural values of Mother Goddess worship, recognized by UNESCO in 2016 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, artisan Hien partnered with travel companies to design a one-day tour that includes a visit to Phu Tien Huong and a short hau dong performance.
Artisan Nguyen Duc Hien practices Mother Goddess worship and has a deep research about this heritage.
During the trial tour, visitors explored the temple’s architecture and witnessed two spirit possession ceremonies dedicated to a male and a female deity, both performed by Hien.
The rituals, accompanied by chau van music, left a deep impression, offering participants a greater appreciation of the artistic and cultural depth of Mother Goddess worship.
Hien said that his vision for Phu Tien Huong is for it to be both a place of worship and a “cultural space” where students, researchers and international visitors can discover one of Vietnam’s unique heritages.
He emphasized that Mother Goddess worship is more than a celebration of cultural beauty. It embodies profound educational values: nurturing kindness and aesthetic appreciation, fostering gratitude toward parents and ancestors and honoring national heroes and those who defended the country.
Chau van singing is an integral part of hau dong performance.
According to Nguyen Duc Hanh, CEO of All Asia Vacation (AAV), Phu Tien Huong is one of the rare destinations designed for high-end international travelers seeking to explore Vietnamese identity through Mother Goddess worship.
Nguyen Van Anh, Director of Indochina Tiger Travel, added that with its location just an hour from central Hanoi, Phu Tien Huong can be easily combined with city tours and visits to major landmarks, creating attractive itineraries.
The dual value of heritage and tourism at Phu Tien Huong shows that Mother Goddess worship is a spiritual treasure in community life and a distinctive cultural tourism product that helps promote Vietnam’s image worldwide.
More importantly, the site serves as a “special classroom” where younger generations can absorb timeless lessons of gratitude, compassion and moral values – foundations for preserving and advancing Vietnam’s cultural identity.
