Vajrastars and Varjahotties: The Mediatization of Tibetan Buddhism in Vietnam

ABSTRACT: This article explores how mediatization is integral to the recent spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Vietnam—what we call Tibeto-Vietnamese Vajrayana (TVV). The popular tropes of this newly-forming religiosity—wealth- and health-attracting, beauty-inspiring, and status-imbuing—reflect changes in late-socialism, including digitally-mediated forms of transnational spiritual alternativity and consumer subjectivity. To substantiate this claim, we draw on 15 months of ethnographic research between 2018-24. The primary case study examines the Vajrastar Tinna Tình and the digital niche she has created for Vajrahotties, microcelebrities who commingle Tibetan Buddhism with lifestyle brands, physical beauty and market capitalization on social media platforms. Their influence is evident among young, urban elites (and aspiring elites) who prefer in vogue cyber-Buddhism over the perceived traditionalism of state-regulated Vietnamese Buddhism. Analysis extends the "media turn" in religion away from theologies and institutions and towards lived practice.