Vietnam – Voices from the Mother Goddess Movement

Profile: Mai (alias), 32, Hanoi. Community organizer and Đạo Mẫu practitioner.

Q: When did you first connect feminism with your spiritual practice? A: “During a lên đồng ritual, I realized that women here are not passive worshippers — they embody the goddesses. For me, feminism is not only political; it is spiritual sovereignty.”

Q: What challenges do Vietnamese women face today? A: “Economic pressure and social expectations. We work, we care for families, and we are told to be modest. Yet, in Đạo Mẫu, women can be loud, commanding, even divine. That space is rare outside the temple.”

Q: How do you see your work in relation to global feminism? A: “Sometimes I feel global feminism doesn’t understand us. They want us to look secular, modern. But our feminism wears red robes, plays drums, and calls down spirits. That is our theory, our practice.