Adaptation and Preservation: The Evolution of Cantonese Wedding Rituals in Contemporary Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This study examines how Cantonese communities in Ho Chi Minh City preserve traditional wedding customs—a vital life-cycle event—while adapting to contemporary influences. Having resided in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly three centuries, the Cantonese have undergone significant social and cultural transformations driven by shifting historical contexts and rapid urbanization. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, this study combines qualitative data from in-depth interviews and participant observation with a quantitative survey of 115 respondents analyzed via SPSS. The findings demonstrate that Cantonese weddings retain most core ritual components, including “gate-crashing” games, the exchange of betrothal gifts, the tea ceremony, the bridal procession, the wedding banquet, and the bride’s return visit to her family. However, notable shifts triggered by rising individualism, evolving gender equality, and the "Vietnamization" of urban culture are increasingly evident. These changes include the diminished role of the matchmaker, the declining frequency of the hair-combing ritual, and the near-disappearance of the traditional “Three Letters.” Based on these findings, the study offers recommendations for preserving Cantonese wedding traditions and suggests directions for future research on the transformation of ethnic rituals in urban settings.

Highlights
• This research article benefits from a mixed-methods approach, combining SPSS-analyzed survey data from 115 respondents with in-depth ethnographic interviews to track the evolution of Cantonese wedding rituals over three centuries of settlement in Ho Chi Minh City.
• It also reveals how the “Six Rites” have been streamlined into modern “Three Steps” while maintaining core symbolic elements, demonstrating a unique balance between preserving ancestral identity and adapting to contemporary Vietnamese urban life.
• It offers new insights into how younger Cantonese generations negotiate their ethnic identity through “negotiated rituals,” which are defined as traditional practices recalibrated through cross-cultural or intergenerational compromise between different cultural, generational, or social demands, merging traditional Cantonese requirements with modern, multi-ethnic social expectations in a globalized context.