Vietnamese Buddhist life is nourished above all by a Mahāyāna scriptural core that supports both meditative insight and devotional faith. The Lotus Sūtra, the Avataṃsaka (Flower Ornament) Sūtra, and the Prajñāpāramitā corpus—especially the Heart Sūtra and Diamond Sūtra—are central, shaping the understanding of emptiness, interpenetration, and universal Buddhahood. These texts are not only studied but also woven into daily liturgy, with the Heart Sūtra in particular recited in temples throughout the country. Alongside them, the Śūraṅgama Sūtra and the Lankāvatāra Sūtra have historically informed Thiền (Zen) approaches to mind, meditation, and precepts, while the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra supports teachings on Buddha-nature. The Platform Sūtra of the Sixth Patriarch further articulates the Thiền vision of sudden enlightenment and non-dual insight, giving doctrinal shape to the Vietnamese Zen ethos.

Pure Land devotion rests on a complementary scriptural foundation. The Amitābha Sūtra (Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha), the Infinite Life Sūtra (Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha), and the Contemplation Sūtra together provide the scriptural basis for faith in Amitābha Buddha and aspiration for rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Among these, the Amitābha Sūtra is especially prominent in chanting practice, while the others support doctrinal exposition and visualization methods. Commentarial and liturgical materials from Chinese Pure Land masters, transmitted into Vietnamese, deepen this devotional framework. In this way, recitation of the Buddha’s name and visualization of the Pure Land coexist naturally with Zen meditation, rather than standing as rival paths.

The institutional and ethical backbone of Vietnamese Buddhism is provided by the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (Tứ Phần Luật), which governs monastic discipline. Texts on the Bodhisattva precepts, such as those associated with the Mahāyāna Brahmajāla Sūtra, further articulate the vows and ethical ideals that shape both monastic and lay life. Around this core, a rich devotional literature flourishes: the Mahākaruṇā Dhāraṇī (Great Compassion Mantra), the Śūraṅgama Dhāraṇī, and the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra are widely used in rituals for protection, compassion, and care for the deceased. These are joined by mantra collections, repentance liturgies, and ritual manuals that integrate Buddhist doctrine with practices of ancestor veneration and reverence for local spirits.

Vietnamese-authored texts give this scriptural heritage a distinctly local voice. Historical works such as Thiền Uyển Tập Anh, together with the writings of Trần Nhân Tông, Tuệ Trung Thượng Sĩ, Mãn Giác, and other Thiền masters, function as semi-canonical guides to practice and realization. Modern liturgy books (Kinh Nhật Tụng, Nghi Lễ Tụng Niệm) compile selections from the major sūtras, chants to Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and ceremonies for ancestors and land spirits into a single ritual life. Through this layered scriptural world, Vietnamese Buddhism embodies a living synthesis: Zen insight, Pure Land faith, and indigenous sensibilities are not merely juxtaposed but mutually illuminate one another, allowing practitioners to move fluidly between meditation cushion, chanting hall, and ancestral altar.