Vietnam's spirit mediums revive once forbidden ritual

Nam, 24, is one of a growing number of spirit mediums who perform the Hau Dong ritual of blaring noise and vibrant colours, now enjoying a resurgence after once being frowned on by the ruling Communist Party.

"It's like an illusion, like a soul has taken over my body," said Nam, who works in a garage in Hanoi, the capital, when he is not performing Hau Dong.

During rituals, spirit mediums dance to loud folk music while appearing to transform themselves into different characters from legend and history. They display changing personalities as if different spirits have entered their bodies.

Sometimes they say it feels real.

"One time I couldn't even move my body and just cried for no reason, but then I returned to normal when the next character came," Nam recalled.

Believers kneel behind mediums and cheerfully grab money thrown by the spirits. Spread on the floor are offerings for the goddesses and the spirits - which can be anything from money to instant noodles to life-sized paper horses.

"It's for every class of society, from rich to poor, from officials to citizens and from the mountain to the plain," said architect and researcher Doan Ky Thanh.

Thanh said the appeal of the ritual had broadened since it could attract those who identified with either gender or both.

Hau Dong's status was reaffirmed last year when it was recognised as part of the Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the U.N. cultural organisation UNESCO.

The Communist Party lifted in 2005 a ban on Hau Dong, which it had until then regarded as superstitious. Interest in the ritual has since grown, as economic liberalisation has brought greater wealth and social openness.

Hau Dong is not predominantly about money, but offerings to the spirits and temples can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single ceremony.

Although the state frowns on wasting money, sponsoring a ceremony can be a status symbol.

Nam said after being called by the saints to become a medium he had given up the reckless lifestyle of his youth. That spurred him to work hard in his daily occupation, paying off in the ownership of two garages.