Vietnamese Temple Dog
Animal worship is one of Vietnam’s indigenous faiths. A faithful animal that protects humans and guards their houses, the dog is worshiped as a protective genie at many temples in Vietnam. The Vietnamese believe that stone dogs placed in front of pagodas and houses will drive away ghosts and devils. People in some rural villages refer to their stone dog as Mr. Prince or Mr. Stone to show their respect. Culture researcher, Professor Ngo Duc Thinh told VOV: “Worshiping dogs is part of animal cult. In many countries, the dog represents blessings. Because it is traditionally a dog’s task to guard people’s homes, stone dogs are often placed in front of houses.”
An ancient temple called the Puppy Temple beside Truc Bach lake in Hanoi dates back to the period when King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Ninh Binh province to Thang Long, now Hanoi, in 1010. At Dich Vi, a village not far from downtown Hanoi, a stone dog is considered the villagers’ tutelary God.
For centuries stone dog worship has been popular in Vietnam’s northern delta and among the ethnic minorities living in northwestern mountains. A stone dog stands in front of each house of the Tay ethnic people. They believe a stone dog is necessary to protect them from ghosts and devils, especially if they live in a house with bad feng shui.
