Based on the exploitation of content related to the Vietnamese's ancestor worship beliefs, recorded sporadically and scattered in some documents of Western missionaries operating in Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries, the article focuses on studying the profound divergence in the missionaries' attitudes toward this cultural phenomenon. To research the above issue, the author uses original material sources, including works, letters, missionary reports, diaries, etc., of Western missionaries operating in Vietnam in this period. In addition, the author also uses academic achievements directly or indirectly related to ancestor worship beliefs of researchers in Vietnam and around the world. The article was completed based on combining the application of two main research methods of Historical Science (historical method and logical method) with other research methods such as analysis, synthesis, statistics, comparison, etc. The research results presented in the article contribute significantly to studying the history of the introduction and development of Christianity in Vietnam and clarify Western missionaries' attitudes toward the traditional cultural values of Vietnamese in general and ancestor worship beliefs in particular in the 17th – 18th centuries.

Key words: ancestor worship, missionary, Vietnam, Christianity, Western, the Society of Jesus, the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris

DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2024_2_24

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About the authors

	Truong Anh Thuan – PhD (History), Associate Professor, The University of Danang (University of Science and Education); 459 Ton Duc Thang st., Danang city, 550000, Vietnam; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Tang Chanh Tin – PhD student (Vietnamese Studies), The University of Danang, (University of Science and Education); 459 Ton Duc Thang st., Danang city, 550000, Vietnam; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.