Nearly every house, office and business in Vietnam has an altar which is used to honor the ancestors. It has at least 4 elements: fire, earth water and a 4th element that is currently not coming to mind. Fire is represented by incense sticks, water by tea or other beverages, the ashes burned represent the earth. People usually put fruit especially pomelos which are grown widely in Vietnam at the alter, in part because they keep really well. Paper gifts are burn (replicas of money or ‘ghost money’) and other items.
This stems from Confucianism, but carries on even though most of the country is Catholic, Christian, Buddhist or non practicing. Our guide in Hanoi told us that in this way, the ancestors are not gone, and still remembered.
Lots of altars have the yellow lotus flower too, represented by an electric lamp. Worshiping is done twice monthly at the new moon and the full moon and on other festivals.
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