The UN day of VESAK 11 held in Vietnam in May 2014 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam is a multi-religion and multi-belief country. The religions introduced in Vietnam are Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Muslim and indigenous religions are Caodaism and Hoa Hao Buddhism. According to the statistics, approximately 95 percent of the population in Vietnam have belief and religious lives. At present, Vietnam has 13 religions with nearly 24 million religion followers, accounting for 27 percent of the country’s population. The right to freedom of belief and religion in Vietnam is adopted, respected and protected by the Party and State, henceforth religious life in Vietnam has been radically changed. Regarding religious life, religious followers have normal religious life at homes and places of worship in conformity with their traditional ceremonies. Some of religious activities, specifically belong to indigenous religions, are developing in contrast with what happened in the past. Belief and religious activities have been increasingly stabilized in conformity with the organizational charter and regulation, and in observance of the law. Governments at all levels has created favorable conditions for religious followers “go together with the whole nation”, promote religious culture and fine virtue in building the cultural life in residential areas; guide and support religious followers to proactively participate in social activities and charity work, to live the “good life, good direction”, support the patriotic movements, make contribution to socio-economic building and development in localities, through which expand the reputation and influence of their religions. Regarding religious organizations, before the renovation (1986), there were only three religious organizations, however at present, there are 37 organizations and one religious practice recognized and given permits for operations by the State. Regarding the opening of schools for training religious dignitaries, before the renovation, there were some Buddhist and Catholic courses, however, in regard to Buddhism alone, there are 4 Buddhist academies, 8 colleges, 32 high schools; in regard to Catholicism, there are 7 grand seminaries and one sub-seminary; in regard to Protestantism, there are 2 theological colleges. Regarding the construction and re-construction of the places of worship, before the renovation, there was none of these activities. At present, most of religions’ places of worships (more than 20,000 places of worships, accounting for 80 percent) are upgraded, including one third large scale reconstructed, simultaneously, approximately 2,000 places of worship are newly built. The issue of permits of  religious publication has been increasingly increased. Before the renovation, there was almost no publication of religious books. Since the innovation, specifically since the establishment of the Religious Publishing House, belonging to the Government Committee of Religious Affairs in1999 up to now, there are about 4,000 books published with tens of millions copies, including nearly one million copies of the Bible. There are about 15 newspapers and magazines affiliated to the operational religious organizations, etc. Every religious organization and individual is entitled to favorable conditions for participating in international activities through the exchange of delegations, participation in international forums and conferences; participating in religious training courses and other international activities. A number of international religious events which have been solemnly and successfully organized and are highly appreciated, are vivid proofs of the freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam. Typical examples can be taken as the United Nations Day of VESAK 2008 and 2014, the 11^th World Buddhist Women Convention (2009-2010); the Opening Ceremony of the Jubilee Year of the Vietnamese General Confederation of Catholicism 2009, the Celebration of 100 years of Protestantism in Vietnam (2011), The 11^th Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference (2012), etc. Recent changes of religious life in Vietnam have made religious followers and dignitaries believe in the leadership of the Party and management of the State, as well as the innovation process of the country, making contribution to the political stability and development of the country.

However, being not to see or trying to ignore above-mentioned achievements, the Vietnamese revolution’s opponents exploit the “ethnic” and “religious” issues to create instability in terms of political security, social order and safety, sabotage our Party and State through “peaceful evolution” strategy. They regard religion in Vietnam as a political force which can play as a “counter-balance” with the Communist Party of Vietnam. They always consider the issue of “freedom of religion” as the reason to oppose Vietnam. In order to fulfill their plot, they try to separate the religion from the State’s management and be at the back of some opponents and support them both spiritually and materially, use the religion  as the force to speed up the process of the Western-pattern “democratization” to change the political regime in Vietnam. This is their support that instigates the religious extremists to have behaviors that challenge the government via having the idea to establish the so called: “Anti-communists religious union committee”, “the Interreligious council”, “the Human rights council”, etc., entice religious followers to gather together, instigate strikes, riots, violent disturbances, create opportunity for outside intervention. Opponent and reactionary forces consider themselves as defenders for democracy, human rights and freedom of religion, use the mask of democracy, human rights to intervene into other countries’ internal affairs, including Vietnam, promulgate a number of religious laws, which have regulations against the countries they consider to “violate the freedom of religion”. The US House of Commons has continually adopted laws and resolutions related to the practice of human rights in Vietnam, including religious issues, such as: HR 1587 Act (2004), HR 3096 Act (2007), HR 1410 Act (2012), HR 1897 Act (2013), H.Res.484, European Parliament Resolution on Vietnam’s Human Rights, etc. Some  of the US diplomats have always mentioned on “the improvements of human rights”, requirements of religious freedom” when having contacts with Vietnamese partners. In recent Vietnam-US and Vietnam-EU dialogues on human rights, the religion is always an issue interested and questioned by the US Department of State. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has advised the US Department of State to put Vietnam back on its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) religious freedom blacklist.

At present, opponent forces have been trying to take advantage of religion to sabotage our State, such as establishing “the Degar government in-exile”, “Free Khmer government”, instigate the trend of ethnic separatist movement, calling for autonomous regions, such as the so called: “H’mong Emperor” in the Northwest region, “Independent Degar State” in the Tay Nguyen region (Central Highlands), “Independent Khmer-Krom State” in the Southwest region, “Independent Cham State” in the Central South region. They attach the ethnic issue to religious issue,  use bad people among religious followers and minority groups to counter the revolution. Facts in the recent riots and violent disturbances in the Northwest, Tay Nguyen and  Southwest regions show that these incidents have attached to religious issue, use the religion as a tool to gather forces to counter the governments. It is worrying that the appearances of new beliefs and spiritualisms which are superstitious developed among ethnic groups in the Northwest and Tay Nguyen regions, etc., break indigenous cultural traditions and have impacts on political security, social order and safety, for example the activities of Duong Van Minh group, Falun Gong, etc. A portion of religious dignitaries and followers have extreme ideology seduced and ganged up with opponent forces, reactionary forces in-exile and some domestic political opportunists, carry out the plot to bribe the claimants, instigate them to participate in strikes against the government; attach Vietnam’s religion to “democratic” and “human rights” issues and exert themselves to propaganda and slander Vietnam of having no democracy, human rights, and religious freedom. According to them, there is suppression and imprisonment of the activists who fight for freedom of religion, democracy and human rights, etc.

Based on incorrect information, the prejudiced and untrue views, the reactionary forces’ old contentions against the Vietnamese revolution are wrong doings, against the Vietnamese and international laws. Since Vietnam has gained the improvements in the implementation of human rights and has not violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The insurance of belief and religious freedom in Vietnam is put in a harmonious correlation of cultural and historical traditions of the nation, combined with firmly keeping national security and sovereignty. Being equal with other nations in the world, the Vietnamese are entitled to the right to freely “determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development” as affirmed in Article 1, Part I of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Ensuring human rights has become a common ideal targeted to reach by all states and nations and the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Being a responsible member of the United Nations and the international community, Vietnam always share, respect all international requirements and commitments of human rights. Vietnam’s historical reality show that many religious organizations and belief and religious activities always go together with the nation in the struggle against suppression and unfairness to gain the national independence and in the cause of building and safeguarding the Socialist Fatherland at present.

Assoc. Prof. Pham Trung Dung, PhD

Deputy Minister of Interior, Chief of the Government Committee of Religious Affairs