When 23-year-old Francis Pham Phi Hung, a Catholic in Vietnam, faced problems with his girlfriend, he didn’t reach out to his family, friends, or a priest – he opened a horoscope app on his phone. Source: UCA News.
“The horoscope said that my girlfriend is a water element and I’m a wood element, so we’re compatible,” said Mr Hung, a recent literature graduate in Can Tho, in southern Vietnam.
“That gave me the confidence to pursue the relationship. Now we’re doing well together.”
Mr Hung is just one of a growing generation of millions in Vietnam who turn to astrology, tarot, palmistry, and numerology to navigate life’s uncertainties, reviving a belief system in the culture, observers say.
Teachings of his Catholic faith forbid relying on fortune-telling and horoscope reading, but they offer him “a fleeting sense of control,” he said.
The popularity of fortune-telling reflects deeper struggles among young people, according to some sociologists.
“Young people are under intense pressure — academically, socially, and economically,” said a sociology lecturer in Ho Chi Minh City, who requested his name not be published, fearing repercussions.
People going for these apps “aren’t necessarily believing in the supernatural. It’s about seeking emotional relief in a stressful, fast-changing world,” he said.
The young people of the seven million-strong Catholic community are not immune to this trend.
Fr Paul Tran from Hue Archdiocese believes Catholics turn to fortune-telling because they lack strong faith formation and a support system in times of crisis.
“God gives us reason and free will. We are called to face difficulties with courage and faith in God,” he said, “rather than taking to superstitions.”
“Faith isn’t about avoiding suffering. It’s about trusting God to carry us through it,” he said.
The increasing popularity of fortune-telling among young Vietnamese people reflects more than just superstition; it indicates their search for guidance, understanding, and community, the priest agreed.
“We must walk with them, not shame them,” Fr Tran said. “Only then can they rediscover a God of love who walks with them through uncertainty, through struggle, and into hope,” he said.
FULL STORY
Young Vietnamese prefer online fortune telling over faith (UCA News)
