DC&PT - Thời Sự 2010

Sinh hoạt tôn giáo tại VN theo phúc trình của Bộ ngoại giao Hoa Kỳ

Việt Long, phóng viên RFA

Bộ ngoại giao Hoa Kỳ vừa tổ chức họp báo công bố bản Báo cáo về tình trạng tự do tôn giáo trên thế giới, trong đó có Việt Nam.

witness photo

Hàng trăm cảnh sát cơ động được triển khai để trấn áp giáo dân Cồn Dầu hôm 4-5-2010.

Phúc trình 2010

Ngoại trưởng Hoa Kỳ Hillary Clinton chủ tọa buổi họp báo vào lúc 2 giờ chiều thứ Tư 17-11 tại Washington, tuyên bố nguyên do và mục đích của việc công bố bản báo cáo thường niên về tự do tôn giáo trên toàn thế giới.

Bộ Ngoại giao thực hiện bản báo cáo tổng quát về tình hình tự do tôn giáo của các quốc gia và vùng lãnh thổ trên toàn thế giới vì tin rằng tự do tôn giáo vừa là một phần căn bản của quyền con người vừa là yếu tố cần thiết cho một xã hội ổn định, hoà bình và thịnh vượng.

Đây không chỉ là quan điểm riêng của Hoa Kỳ mà là của các quốc gia và người dân trên thế giới, thể hiện trong bản Tuyên ngôn nhân quyền quốc tế . Nó được bảo đảm bằng luật pháp và hiến pháp của nhiều quốc gia, trong đó tại Hoa Kỳ tự do tôn giáo được xem là quyền tự do đầu tiên trong các quyền con người. 

Vì nước Mỹ muốn cho mọi người ở khắp mọi nơi được sống theo niềm tin của họ mà không có sự can thiệp của chính quyền và được chính quyền bảo vệ, nên Hoa Kỳ đã cảm thấy áy náy vì những gì đang xảy ra ở rất nhiều nơi.

Ngoại trưởng Mỹ nhấn mạnh về vai trò và quan niệm của Hoa Kỳ khi hoàn thành bản báo cáo, và mục đích của bản báo cáo về tự do tôn giáo trên toàn thế giới:

“Với bản báo cáo này, Hoa Kỳ không có ý làm quan tòa xem xét các nước khác và xem mình như một hình mẫu tuyệt hảo, mà chỉ tỏ sự quan tâm đến tự do tôn giáo. Hoa Kỳ đã làm hết sức để thi hành quyền tự do tôn giáo.

Chúng tôi muốn nhìn thấy tự do tôn giáo trên toàn cầu.  Nước Mỹ ủng hộ những người nam nữ dũng cảm trên toàn thế giới đã kiên trì thực hành niềm tin tôn giáo trong hoàn cảnh bị chống đối và bạo động.

Tự do tôn giáo bắt đầu với tin ngưỡng riêng cũng như tập thể, nhưng không phải chỉ có thế, tự do tôn giáo còn bao gồm quyền được nuôi nấng và xây dựng cho con cái theo tín ngưỡng của mình, được chia sẻ niềm tin một cách ôn hoà với người khác, được xuất bản các tài liệu tôn giáo mà không bị kiểm soát, được thay đổi tôn giáo bằng lựa chọn, chứ không phải do ép buộc, và được quyền không có tôn giáo nào cả. 

Chúng ta đã từng thấy nhiều đóng góp có giá trị từ các cộng đồng tôn giáo trên toàn cầu trong việc chống lại đói nghèo, bệnh tật và thiếu công bằng.”

Những nước được đề cập trong báo cáo gồm có: Afghanistan. Miến Điện, Trung Quốc, Cuba, Ai Cập, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lào, Malaysia, Maldives, Ma-rốc, Nepal, Nigeria, Bắc Hàn, Pakistan, Nga, Ảrập Xê-út, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela và Việt Nam.

Tôn giáo tại Việt Nam

Về Việt Nam, bản báo cáo nhìn nhận có tiến bộ về tự do tôn giáo và tự do hành đạo trên một số khía cạnh trong năm qua, tuy nhiên còn tồn tại nhiều vấn đề nghiêm trọng.  Trong số những vấn đề đó có hành động sách nhiễu và sử dụng vũ lực quá đáng của một số viên chức địa phương, và hành động chậm trễ trong việc chấp thuận sự đăng ký của một số giáo hội Tin lành.

Báo cáo viết:

“Chính quyền Việt Nam tiếp tục thi hành sắc lệnh về tôn giáo và tín ngưỡng năm 2004 và các nghị quyết bổ sung năm 2005. Mặt tích cực, chính quyền đã tạo dễ dàng cho việc xây dựng nhiều nhà thờ, nhà nguyện, chùa chiền, tu viện, học viện cho hằng ngàn chủng sinh, tu sinh, học tăng. 

Nhiều giáo đoàn được phép hoạt động, hai giáo hội Tin lành toàn quốc được công nhận. Sinh hoạt tôn giáo được tăng tiến hơn, tín đồ được tụ họp đông đảo ở một số nơi. Đặc biệt, các tôn giáo tổ chức nhiều lễ hội lịch sử quy mô lớn trên khắp nước, với hơn 100 ngàn người tham dự.

Tuy nhiên những hành động chống tự do tôn giáo vẫn xảy ra, trở thành những vấn đề đáng chú ý, nhất là tại các tỉnh và làng xã.  Việc đăng ký một số giáo hội Tin lành bị chính quyền gây trì trệ ở miền Bắc và vùng thượng du Tây Bắc. 

Nhiều nơi, các cộng đoàn bị sách nhiễu. 5 năm nay chính quyền vẫn không chuẩn thuận bản dịch thánh kinh sang tiếng Hmong. Chính quyền giữ vai trò nặng nề trong việc giám sát và công nhận cho các tôn giáo.

Nhiều cộng đồng tôn giáo gặp những hạn chế khó khăn nhất khi Nhà nước cho rằng hoạt động của họ là thách đố quyền cai trị hay quyền lực của đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam.   Đạo Cao Đài và Hòa hảo vẫn bị từ chối cho đăng ký, tín đồ bị gây khó khăn để không dám tham gia những giáo hội không được nhìn nhận”. 

Bản báo cáo cũng nhắc đến những hành động sách nhiễu và ngăn cấm đối với GHPGVNTN, vụ tấn công giải tán khu sinh hoạt tu tập Làng Mai ở Lâm đồng, vụ áp bức tôn giáo ở Đồng Chiêm cũng như vụ sử dụng bạo lực quá đáng ở giáo xứ Cồn Dầu, Đà Nẵng.

Được hỏi về việc Ủy hội Hoa Kỳ về tự do tôn giáo quốc tế đã đề nghị đưa Việt Nam trở lại danh sách những nước cần được quan tâm về tự do tôn giáo, phụ tá ngoại trưởng Hoa Kỳ Michael Posner nói rằng, Ủy hội tự do tôn giáo quốc tế là một cơ quan tư vấn độc lập, đã nêu đề nghị đó. Bộ ngoại giao sẽ nghiên cứu và quyết định trong mấy tháng tới.  Bản báo cáo này đã nhắc đến Việt Nam qua một số vấn đề. 

Theo chương trình, vào tháng 12 tới đây ông Posner sẽ sang Việt Nam để tái tục cuộc đối thoại song phương về nhân quyền đã diễn ra hồi tháng 10, và vấn đề liên quan đến danh sách CPC có thể được đề cập tới.

Trích: RFA 17.11

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Vietnam

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

International Religious Freedom Report 2010

November 17, 2010

The constitution provides for freedom of worship; however, government
restrictions on the organized activities of many religious groups
continued.

Respect for religious freedom and practice improved in some regards
during the reporting period. However, significant problems remained,
including occasional harassment and excessive use of force by local
government officials against religious groups in some locations, and
delays in approving registrations of Protestant congregations. The
government took further steps to implement its 2004 Ordinance on
Religion and Belief and supplemental decrees on religious policy
issued in 2005 (collectively, the government's "legal framework on
religion"). The government also facilitated construction of new
churches, prayer houses, pagodas, and training facilities for
furthering the education of thousands of monks, priests, nuns, and
pastors. New congregations were registered in many of the 64
provinces, and one new religious group and two Protestant
denominations received national registration or recognition. The
government permitted the expansion of religious organizations’
charitable activities. President Nguyen Minh Triet met with Pope
Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Vietnam and the Holy See agreed to a
Vatican appointment of a non-resident Representative for Vietnam as a
first step toward the establishment of full diplomatic relations. The
Catholic Church, Protestant congregations, and other smaller religious
groups reported that their ability to gather and worship generally
improved and that the government allowed registered religious groups
to assign new clergy with limited restrictions. The government also
permitted the Buddhist, Catholic, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and Protestant
faiths to hold several historic large-scale religious services
throughout the country, some with over 100,000 participants.

Despite areas of progress during the reporting period, significant
problems remained, especially at the provincial and village levels.
These included the slow pace, in some cases due to government
inaction, of registration of Protestant congregations in the North and
the Northwest Highlands. Inconsistent application of procedures for
registration caused some of the above-mentioned problems. In some
areas, Protestant congregations experienced harassment. After five
years of pending application, the central government has not yet
approved a translation of the Bible in H'mong. The government
maintained a prominent role overseeing all officially recognized
religions. Religious groups encountered the greatest restrictions when
the government perceived their activities as challenging its rule or
the authority of the Communist Party. The government continued to
refuse registration and to discourage participation in unrecognized
factions of the Hoa Hao Buddhist and Cao Dai faiths reportedly due to
their past and current support of opponents of the government. The
leadership of the unrecognized Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam
(UBCV) reported the government continued to monitor its activities
closely and encouraged leaders to restrict their movements. There were
also instances of government participation in, or sanction of,
violence against religious groups. These included attacks on the Plum
Village Community followers of Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and
the excessive use of force in the destruction of a large concrete
crucifix on disputed territory at the Dong Chiem parish. There were
also reports of harsh treatment of detainees accused of initiating
violence during a protest over the enforcement of an agreement between
the Catholic Church and the government to close a cemetery in Con Dau
parish. Accounts of the series of events leading to the incident
varied, even between parishioners and Catholic leaders.

There were few instances of societal violence based on religious
affiliation, belief, or practice during the reporting period. Many
Catholics and Protestants reported Christians experienced unofficial
discrimination when applying for government positions.

The U.S. embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. consulate general in Ho Chi
Minh City maintain regular dialogue with senior and working-level
government officials to advocate for greater religious freedom. U.S.
officials met and communicated regularly with religious leaders,
including religious activists under government scrutiny. Secretary
Clinton and other State Department officials raised religious freedom
concerns with government officials and called for continued
improvements in religious freedom. Religious freedom also was a
central issue in the 2009 U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue.

Section I. Religious Demography

The country has an area of 127,000 square miles and a population of
89.6 million. Most estimates suggest more than half of the population
is at least nominally Buddhist. The Roman Catholic Church constitutes
7 percent. Several Cao Dai organizations constitute 2.5 to 4 percent,
the primary Hoa Hao organization 1.5 to 3 percent, Protestants 1 to 2
percent, and Muslims less than 0.1 percent of the population. Most
other citizens consider themselves nonreligious, although some
practice traditional beliefs such as animism and veneration of
ancestors and national heroes.

Many Buddhists practice an amalgam of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and
Confucianism that is sometimes called the "triple religion." The
government Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) cites an estimate of
10 million (11 percent of the population) practicing Mahayana
Buddhists, most of whom are members of the ethnic Kinh community (the
country's majority group, also referred to as Viet). There are
proportionally fewer Buddhists in the highland areas, although
migration of Kinh to these areas is changing the distribution. In Ho
Chi Minh City alone, there are more than 1,000 active Buddhist
pagodas. A Khmer ethnic minority in the south practices Theravada
Buddhism and has more than 570 pagodas. Numbering more than one
million, they live almost exclusively in the Mekong Delta.

In 1981 the officially sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) was
established incorporating all Mahayana, Theravada, and Bhikshu
Buddhism under its umbrella. All Buddhist groups within the VBS are
proportionally represented throughout the leadership structure and
organization. In practice Theravada monks meet separately to determine
issues such as doctrine, education, and other community needs to raise
within the VBS.

The government requires all Buddhist monks, including Khmer Krom monks
who practice the Theravada tradition, to be approved by and work under
the government-sponsored VBS. In theory the CRA regulates the number
of Buddhist student monks, although the number of Buddhist academies
at the local and provincial levels, in addition to four
university-equivalent academies, has greatly increased in recent
years. Since the government's merger of all Buddhist organizations
into the VBS, the government does not recognize the legitimacy of the
UBCV. There are several recently recognized religious organizations
that have Buddhist influences, although they are separate and distinct
from the VBS. Of these the Pure-Land Buddhist Home Practice faith has
the largest membership with more than 1.3 million followers.

Although government statistics indicate there are 6.28 million
Catholics, other estimates place the number at eight million.
Catholics live throughout the country, with the largest concentrations
in the provinces around Ho Chi Minh City, in parts of the Central
Highlands, and in the provinces southeast of Hanoi. Catholicism has
revived in recent years with newly rebuilt or renovated churches and a
growing number of persons who want to be religious workers. Three
archbishops, 44 bishops, and nearly 4,000 priests oversaw 26 dioceses.
There are more than 10,000 places of worship including six seminaries
and two clergy training centers. The number preparing for the
priesthood has grown by more than 50 percent over the past five years
and now totals 1,500, according to the Vatican.

Government statistics put the number of Cao Dai at 2.3 million,
although Cao Dai officials claim approximately 3.9 million adherents.
Cao Dai groups are most active in Tay Ninh Province, where the Cao Dai
"Holy See" is located; in Ho Chi Minh City; and throughout the Mekong
Delta. There are separate groups within the Cao Dai religion; the
largest is the Tay Ninh sect, which represents more than half of Cao
Dai believers and more than 40 percent of the population of the
province. Cao Dai is syncretic, combining elements of many faiths.

According to the government, there are 1.3 million Hoa Hao followers;
affiliated expatriate groups estimate as many as three million
adherents. Hoa Hao followers are concentrated in the Mekong Delta,
particularly in provinces such as An Giang and Dong Thap, where the
Hoa Hao were dominant as a social, political, and military force
before 1975. The government-recognized Hoa Hao Administrative
Committee (HHAC) was organized in 1999. A small number of Hoa Hao
belong to other sects that oppose the HHAC, such as the Pure Hoa Hao
Church and the Traditional Hoa Hao Church.

The two largest officially recognized Protestant churches are the
Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) and the smaller
Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN). The Vietnam Baptist
Convention (Grace Southern Baptist), United World Mission Church,
Vietnam Mennonite Church, Vietnam Presbyterian Church, Vietnam Baptist
Society (Southern Baptist), Vietnam Seventh-day Adventist Church, and
Vietnam Christian Fellowship also are officially recognized. Other
Protestant denominations also are present, including the Assemblies of
God (officially registered) as well as the United Methodist Church and
others registered locally but not registered on the national level.
Estimates of the number of Protestants ranged from government figures
of one million to claims by churches of over two million, with the
strongest recent growth occurring from 1996 to 2000. Some new converts
belong to unregistered evangelical house churches. Based on adherents'
estimates, two-thirds of Protestants are members of ethnic minorities,
including minority groups in the Northwest Highlands (H'mong, Dzao,
Thai, and others) and in the Central Highlands (Ede, Jarai, Sedang,
and M'nong, among others).

The small Muslim population numbers 60,000 to 80,000, and mosques are
located in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, western An Giang Province, and
provinces in the southern coastal area. The government estimates there
are nearly 73,000 Muslims. The Muslim community is composed mainly of
ethnic Cham; however, in Ho Chi Minh City and An Giang Province it
includes some ethnic Kinh and migrants originally from Malaysia,
Indonesia, and India. Approximately 40 percent of Muslims are Sunnis;
the remaining 60 percent practice Bani Islam, a type of Islam unique
to the ethnic Cham who live on the south-central coast.

There are several smaller religious communities, the largest of which
is the Hindu community. Approximately 50,000 ethnic Cham in the
south-central coastal area practice a devotional form of Hinduism.
Another 4,000 Hindus live in Ho Chi Minh City; some are ethnic Cham,
but most are Indian or of mixed Indian-Vietnamese descent.

There are an estimated 7,200 Baha'is, largely concentrated in the
south. Baha'i followers were present prior to 1975 but open practice
of the Baha'i Faith was banned from 1975 to 1992. They received
national recognition as a new religion in 2008. In May 2010 the Baha'i
Faith held its third national convention with more than 300
representatives attending from its 73 registered congregations.

There are approximately 1,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) throughout the country. The church has two
locally recognized congregations in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The Jehovah's Witnesses have 55 active congregations in 18 provinces
with 3,000 members. There are 32 places of worship registered locally.
A majority of the congregations are in the south with half the total
membership located in Ho Chi Minh City and 500 members in Hanoi.

There is one Jewish temple in Ho Chi Minh City serving approximately
150 Jews living in the city. While most members are foreign residents,
the congregation is growing.

At least 14 million citizens constituting 17 percent or more of the
population reportedly do not practice any organized religion. The
government does not categorize those whose activities are limited to
visiting pagodas on ceremonial holidays as practicing Buddhists. Under
this definition the number of nonreligious persons could rise to 50
million. No statistics were available on the level of participation in
formal religious services, but it was generally acknowledged that this
number has been increasing since the early 1990s.

Ethnic minorities constitute approximately 14 percent of the
population. They historically practice different traditional beliefs
than those of the majority Kinh. Increasing numbers of H'mong, Dao,
Jarai, Ede, M'nong, Thai, and Sedang in the Northwest and Central
Highlands are converting to Protestantism.

Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework

The constitution, legal code, and a 2003 Communist Party Central
Committee resolution on religion provide for freedom of belief and
worship, as well as nonbelief; however, restrictions exist in policy
and practice. The 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief (Ordinance)
serves as the primary document governing religious practice. It
reiterates citizens' rights to freedom of belief, freedom of religion,
and freedom not to follow a religion, affirming that violations of
these freedoms are prohibited. It states, however, that the "abuse" of
freedom of belief or religion "to undermine the country's peace,
independence, and unity" is illegal and warns that religious
activities must be suspended if they negatively affect the cultural
traditions of the nation.

Under the Ordinance government has control and oversight of religious
organizations. Religious denominations must be officially recognized
or registered, and the "appropriate" lower-level authorities must
approve activities and leadership of individual religious
congregations. Appropriate authorities must also approve the
establishment of seminaries and the organization of and enrollment in
religious classes. The appointment of priests or other religious
officials requires authorities' approval only when a higher level
foreign religious organization such as the Vatican is involved. The
Ordinance explicitly bans forced renunciations of faith. The Ordinance
requires religious organizations to inform appropriate authorities of
their annual activities or the investiture and transfer of clerics,
and no longer requires official government approval. Further, the
Ordinance encourages religious groups to carry out charitable
activities in health care and education, which were limited in the
past.

The 2005 Prime Minister's "Instruction on Some Tasks Regarding
Protestantism" (Instruction) calls on authorities to facilitate the
requests of recognized Protestant denominations to construct churches
as well as to train and appoint pastors. The Instruction directs
authorities to help unrecognized denominations register their
congregations so they can worship openly and move toward fulfilling
the criteria for full recognition. The Instruction directs authorities
in the Central and Northwest Highlands to help groups of Protestants
register their religious activities and practice in homes or "suitable
locations," even if they do not meet the criteria to establish an
official congregation, such as having the required minimum number of
adherents. The Instruction also directs local officials to allow
unregistered "house churches" to operate so long as they are
"committed to follow regulations" and are not affiliated with
separatist political movements.

Implementing Decree 22, also issued in 2005, provides further guidance
on the Ordinance on Religion and Belief. It delineates specific
procedures by which an unrecognized religious organization may
register its places of worship, its clerics, and its activities and
thus operate openly. It provides procedures for these groups to apply
for official recognition from the government to gain additional
rights. The Decree specifies that a religious organization must have
20 years of "stable religious operation" in the country to be
recognized by the government and states that past operation in the
country can be counted toward this requirement. The Decree further
defines specific time periods for the government to consider requests
from religious organizations and requires officials to give an
organization an explanation in writing for any rejected application.

Decree 22 also clarifies the procedures for religious organizations
and individual congregations seeking official recognition. In
principle, recognized religious denominations are allowed to open,
operate, and refurbish places of worship, train religious leaders, and
obtain permission for the publication of materials. To obtain official
recognition, a denomination must receive national-level registration,
which according to the legal framework involves several legal stages.
First, the religious organization must apply for and receive
registration in each local administrative area in which it operates.
Registration requires a religious organization to file information
with relevant authorities about its structure, leadership, and
activities. Authorities then have 45 days to raise questions or
concerns. National-level registrations have a 60-day review period.
The CRA must issue a license before an organization is considered
registered. After maintaining national registration for one year, the
eligible religious group may apply for full legal recognition after
hosting a national convention where it elects leaders. It also must
receive government approval of its leadership, structure, national
charter, and activities.

The Decree further specifies that appropriate authorities must provide
a written response to requests for official recognition within 30, 45,
60, or 90 days, depending on the scope of the request. In the case of
a refusal, a specific reason must be included in the written response,
although this requirement also does not appear to be consistently
followed. There is no specific mechanism for appeal in the Ordinance,
nor are the reasons for denying a request restricted in any way.

The Decree and the Law on Land stipulate that churches are not
permitted to purchase land as legal entities and provincial People's
Committees must grant the land and approve the construction of new
religious facilities. Typically, the land is purchased by a member of
a congregation and then deeded to the province, followed by the
granting of the land to the congregation. The renovation or upgrade of
religious facilities also requires notification to authorities,
although not necessarily requiring a permit, depending on the extent
of the renovation. The Decree stipulates that authorities must respond
to a construction permit application within 20 days.

The national-level CRA is charged with disseminating information about
the legal framework on religion to authorities at the provincial,
district, commune, and village levels and assuring uniform compliance.
Implementation of the legal framework on religion at lower levels of
the government continued to be mixed. During the reporting period,
national and provincial authorities held a number of training courses
for lower-level officials about the new laws to ensure their
understanding and compliance with the Ordinance.

The government does not officially favor a particular religion.
Virtually all senior government and CPV officials, as well as the
majority of National Assembly delegates, are formally "without
religion." Many party and government officials openly practiced
traditional ancestor worship; however, some visited Buddhist or Cao
Dai pagodas. The CPV asserts that tens of thousands of the more than
three million CPV members are religious believers. The prominent
traditional position of Buddhism does not adversely affect religious
freedom for others, including those who do not practice a religion.

Adherence to a religious faith generally does not seriously
disadvantage individuals in nongovernment civil, economic, and secular
life, although it prevents advancement within the CPV and military.
Practitioners of various religious groups serve in local and
provincial government positions and are represented in the National
Assembly. Some religious organizations, such as the VBS, as well as
clergy and religious followers are members of the CPV-affiliated mass
political and social organization, the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
High-ranking government officials often make a special point to send
greetings and visit churches over Christmas and Easter as well as
attend Vesak day activities.

The government officially recognizes the Buddhist, Catholic,
Protestant, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Baha'i, Muslim, Pure Land Buddhist Home
Practice, Threefold Southern Tradition, and Threefold Enlightened
Truth Path faiths as religious organizations. Individual congregations
within these recognized groups must also be registered. Practitioners
of alternative Buddhist, Protestant, Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai groups do
not participate in government-recognized or government-registered
religious organizations.

The government allows travel for religious purposes, but religious
leaders must have prior approval to go abroad for religious
conferences and training courses. Muslims were able to undertake the
Hajj while Buddhist, Catholic, and Protestant officials were generally
able to travel abroad for study and for conferences. Catholic leaders
regularly travel to the Vatican for consultations. Other unofficial
religious leaders regularly travel internationally.

The government requires all religious publishing to be done by the
Religious Publishing House, which is part of the State Publishing
House's Office of Religious Affairs, or by other government-approved
publishing houses after the government first approves the proposed
items. From 2006 to 2008, the Religious Publishing House published
close to 1,800 different books and other publications, totaling more
than 4.5 million copies. An updated figure was not available to
include in the current reporting period. A range of Bibles, Buddhist
sacred scriptures, and other religious texts and publications were
printed and distributed openly. The Bible is printed in Vietnamese,
Chinese, Ede, Jarai, Banar, M'nong, and English. The Bible is also
printed in the Bana, Ede, K'hor, and Giarai ethnic languages, although
the government has not yet approved printing in H'mong. Since 1994,
under a government license, the SECV has distributed over one million
Bibles in five ethnic languages. Since 2009 they have distributed
50,000 Bibles in Vietnamese, K'hor, and Ede.

Article 35 of the Decree requires government approval for foreign
missionary groups to proselytize, and such activities must take place
under sponsorship of a national or local religious organization. It
discourages public proselytizing outside recognized worship centers.
Some missionaries visited the country despite this official
prohibition and conducted informal proselytizing activities.

The government does not observe any religious holidays as national holidays.

The government does not permit religious instruction in public
schools; however, it permitted clergy to teach at universities in
subjects in which they are qualified. Buddhist monks have lectured at
the Ho Chi Minh Political Academy, the main CPV school, and Catholics
have taught at Ho Chi Minh City universities, although they were not
allowed to wear religious dress or identify themselves as clergy.
Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and Buddhist groups are allowed to
provide religious education to children. Catholic religious education,
on weekends or evenings, is permitted in most areas and has increased
in recent years. Khmer Theravada Buddhists and Cham Muslims regularly
hold religious and language classes outside normal classroom hours in
their respective pagodas and mosques. Religious groups are not
permitted to operate independent schools beyond preschool and
kindergarten. Atheism is not officially taught in schools.

Religious affiliation is indicated on citizens' national
identification cards and in "family books," which are household
identification documents. In practice, many persons who consider
themselves religious choose not to indicate a religious affiliation on
their identification cards, and government statistics include them as
nonreligious. Although it is possible to change the classification of
religious affiliation on national identification cards, many converts
find the procedures overly cumbersome or fear government retribution.
The government does not designate religious affiliation in passports.

Restrictions on Religious Freedom

The constitutional right to freedom of belief and religion continued
to be subject to uneven interpretation and protection. Government
practices and bureaucratic impediments restricted religious freedom.

The government generally allowed increasing numbers of individuals and
groups to express their religious beliefs, and most religious groups
reported their ability to meet openly for religious worship improved.
However, the government requires the registration of all activities by
religious groups and uses this requirement to restrict and actively
discourage participation in certain unrecognized religious groups,
including the UBCV and some Protestant, Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai groups.

Because of the lack of due process and inconsistent oversight,
religious activities can be subject to the discretion of local
officials. In some cases local officials reportedly told religious
leaders that national laws did not apply to their jurisdictions. In
certain cases recognized and unrecognized Protestant groups were able
to overcome local harassment or to overturn negative local decisions
after they appealed to higher-level authorities.

Several hundred ECVN congregations continued to await action on their
applications to register. Reasons cited for delays in the process or
rejection of applications included bureaucratic impediments such as
not following correct procedures in completing forms or providing
incomplete information. Local authorities also cited vague security
concerns and stated either that their political authority could be
threatened or that confrontations could occur between traditional
believers and recently converted Christians.

In many provinces, Protestant churches were required to submit lists
of all worshippers as part of the registration process, although the
legal framework on religion does not require this information. This
practice appeared to be widespread. In some cases authorities removed
this requirement in response to the protests of the registering
groups; in other cases the extra-legal requirement was maintained,
slowing the registration process.

In Dak Lak Province, approximately 90 SECV "meeting points" remained
unregistered, although government officials stated that half would
receive their registration before the end of 2010.

Other obstacles to religious growth and training remained. Officially
recognized religious groups faced some limitations in obtaining or
publishing teaching materials, expanding training facilities, sharing
their faith, building new houses of worship, and expanding the number
of clergy in religious training in response to increased demand from
congregations. However the government continued to ease limitations
compared to previous years.

There were no formal prohibitions on changing one's religion. The
cumbersome process of applying for a new national identification card
(ID) with the new religion may deter some individuals from changing
their IDs after conversion.

Persons who belonged to unofficial religious groups were not permitted
to speak publicly about their beliefs, but some conducted religious
training and services without harassment. Members of registered
religious organizations may speak about their beliefs and may persuade
others to adopt their religions, but only in their registered places
of worship. The government controlled all forms of public assembly;
however, several large religious gatherings were allowed.

The government continued to oppose UBCV operation of charitable
activities and restricted the movement of some UBCV leaders, although
the UBCV operated many pagodas without restriction. The UBCV held
several large events to mark Vesak Day, most without incident. UBCV
Supreme Patriarch traveled to Hue and delivered a sermon during a
ceremony attended by more than 700 individuals. In April the UBCV
executive board consisting of 40 senior monks denounced the Vietnamese
Buddhist Sangha (VBS), asked the government to return all UBCV
properties, and called for a democratic regime in Hanoi. As in
previous reporting periods, UBCV leaders reported they were urged to
restrict their movements although they were able to receive visits
from foreign diplomats, visit other UBCV members, and maintain contact
with associates overseas; however, these activities were closely
scrutinized. One foreigner, following an interview with Thich Quang Do
for a film, was temporarily detained and questioned by police in
March. Provincial leaders of the UBCV throughout the southern region
reported routine surveillance by local authorities. UBCV Supreme
Patriarch Thich Quang Do stated he was allowed to leave his pagoda to
visit his doctor once or twice a month and could meet with others
inside and outside the pagoda.

The government continued to monitor and impede the activities of
certain religious groups based on their political activism. The
government invoked national security and solidarity provisions in the
constitution to override laws and regulations providing for religious
freedom, which impeded some religious gatherings and attempts by
affected religious followers to spread beliefs to certain ethnic
groups.

The penal code, as amended in 1997, establishes penalties for vaguely
defined offenses such as "attempting to undermine national unity" by
promoting "division between religious believers and nonbelievers." The
government continued to limit the organized activities of independent
religious groups and of individuals who were regarded as a threat to
CPV authority.

The government formed and recognized the official Hoa Hao body, the
Hoa Hao Administrative Council, in 1999. Several leaders of the Hoa
Hao community, including several pre-1975 leaders, openly criticized
the council as subservient to the government. Dissenting Hoa Hao
groups formed two smaller churches, the Traditional Hoa Hao Church and
the Pure Hoa Hao Church. They have also faced some restrictions on
their religious and political activities since 1975, due in part to
lingering CPV concerns about the Hoa Hao's prior armed opposition to
communist forces dating back to French colonial rule and involvement
with dissident political groups.

The government continued to assert that some ethnic minorities in the
Central Highlands were operating a self-styled "Dega Church," which
reportedly mixed religious practice with political activism and called
for ethnic minority separatism. This suspicion made the registration
process for other churches in the area more complicated. SECV and
house churches in the provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Binh
Phuoc, and Dak Nong continued to experience government scrutiny
because of feared association with separatist groups overseas.

The Religious Publishing House has not yet acted on a longstanding
request to allow printing of the Bible in the H'mong language. The
delay was due to the fact that the government recognizes only an
archaic form of the H'mong language that is not in regular use today
and cannot be read by the average H'mong. The proposed H'mong
translation is a more current form of the language.

The government allowed, and in some cases encouraged, links between
officially recognized religious bodies and coreligionists overseas;
however, the government discouraged contact between the UBCV and its
foreign Buddhist supporters. Contact between some unregistered
Protestant groups and their foreign supporters were sometimes
discouraged but nonetheless occurred regularly, including training,
and provision of financial support and religious materials. The
government remained critical of contact between separatist "Dega"
Protestants in the Central Highlands and overseas supporters.

State-run media openly criticized religious leaders, such as Hanoi
Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet and internationally-known Zen Master Thich
Nhat Hanh, after disagreements with local officials over land rights
issues or religious policies. Particular CPV newspapers printed
assertions that Thich Nhat Hanh had a sexual encounter with a Buddhist
nun. They also declared Archbishop Kiet "unpatriotic" and "opposed to
the government." The Chairman of the People's Committee of Hanoi sent
a letter to the Vatican calling for Kiet's transfer. Kiet's earlier
request to the Vatican to resign due to medical difficulties was
accepted in May.

Specific challenges included unresolved property claims with virtually
all churches including the Catholic Church, SECV, and ECVN. Provincial
authorities have returned a limited number of properties confiscated
from religious organizations after 1975 and remained in protracted
discussions on others. Many properties seized were schools and
hospitals later incorporated into the state system.

The country's history and its recent rapid economic development
complicated land issues, especially as the government promoted rapid
development as a priority. Many Vietnamese individuals and nearly
every religious denomination in the country prior to 1975 have
outstanding land claims resulting from the nationalization of private
property following the war. Some claims were further complicated by
the fact that land once home to Buddhist pagodas was given to the
Catholic Church during the French colonial period. Religious leaders
reported that their land disputes were more often matters of economic
rather than religious discrimination. While the government and the
Catholic Church agreed to the return of four properties in 2009, the
status of many other properties remained unresolved.

In Nghe An Province, local officials sold a portion of the land on
which the disputed ruins of the Cau Ram Church were located, to build
an apartment complex. The site had been bombed in 1968, and the
provincial government had seized the church in 1996 and converted it
to a war memorial to "preserve and protect for future generations the
memory of American War Crimes." In May 2010 several thousand Catholics
celebrated Mass at the site, as a protest against the government sale
of the land for development.

In Da Nang in May 2010, police clashed with local Catholics at a
cemetery in Con Dau village. The government earlier used eminent
domain to seize the property and develop the region into an ecotourism
resort. Six Catholic parishioners who reportedly started a physical
altercation with police were arrested and were awaiting trial at the
end of the reporting period. There were reports of harsh treatment of
detainees. Accounts of the incident varied, even between parishioners
and Catholic leaders.

In March 2010 two leaders of unrecognized Hoa Hao groups in Can Tho,
Dang Thanh Dinh, and Dang Van Nghia, were denounced in the state-run
media for opposing the government and stirring unrest. The two leaders
led a large and growing congregation of 700 followers. Local officials
followed suit with public denouncements. Six Pure Hoa Hao followers, a
related group, alleged that they were assaulted by police in Dong Thap
Province and fined for conducting services in March.

In Hanoi in January 2010, several hundred police destroyed a large
concrete cross that had been constructed at the top of a large hill
near the Dong Chiem parish. At the base of the hill is a Catholic
cemetery.

In November 2009 in Da Lat, the government demolished a portion of a
Catholic seminary built in 1964 and seized by authorities in 1980. The
Church had repeatedly requested that the seminary be returned to
church control for use as a training facility for local priests. The
government instead decided to transform the property into a cultural
park. Similarly, in Vinh Long Province, authorities demolished the
Congregation of Saint Paul of Chartres monastery to transform the
property into a public square. Bishop Thomas Nguyen Van Tan of Vinh
Long strongly condemned the action stating that he only learned about
the demolition decision after reading about it in a local newspaper.

In Quang Binh Province in September 2009, several Catholic
parishioners were released after being detained on charges related to
earlier protests at the disputed ruins of the Tam Toa Church. Also in
September the government completed restoration of the main bell tower
which had been damaged by bombings in 1968.

In September 2009 an ethnic minority preacher with the Good News
Mission Church in Phu Yen Province was criticized by commune and
district police for leading an unregistered church operating an
illegal Bible school. The Assemblies of God Church in Nghe An Province
experienced similar difficulties in July 2009 when local officials and
police attempted to close a small ethnic minority congregation and
discouraged evangelizing of other ethnic minorities.

In July 2009 a Redemptorist monastery in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa
Province, was demolished under government approval. The building was
constructed in 1959, but was seized by the government in 1978. Local
Redemptorists had long petitioned for return of the facility, but
received no response to their petition from authorities.

Protestants also faced land rights issues. The government returned a
small number of previously confiscated properties to recognized
Protestant organizations, but other disputes continued. The SECV
continued to seek restitution for more than 250 properties; other
denominations active in the south before 1975 also had claims.

Similarly, a Cao Dai temple in Ninh Thuan Province was demolished in
April 2010 to accommodate a new nursery school. The temple was built
in 1950 and was closed by the government in 1987. It had been used as
a temporary government office building for two years before being
abandoned. The local Cao Dai had repeatedly petitioned provincial
officials to return the property without success.

Although the Ordinance encourages religious organizations to conduct
charitable activities in education and health care, the degree of
government oversight of these activities varied greatly among
localities. In some areas, especially in the south, Catholic priests
and nuns operated kindergartens, orphanages, vocational training
centers, and clinics and engaged in a variety of other humanitarian
projects. Operating without a legal basis, however, created some
difficulties for the church. Two shelters were unable to obtain legal
birth records and public school enrollment for the children under its
care. Charitable activities of religious groups in the northern
section of the country were comparatively more restricted.

Police regularly discouraged worshipers from visiting temples and
facilities affiliated with the unrecognized Pure Hoa Hao Church in An
Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, and Can Tho, especially on church
holidays related to the lunar calendar and the anniversary of the
death of the founder of Hoa Hao Buddhism.

Some ethnic minority worshippers in the Central
Highlands--particularly in areas suspected to be affiliated with the
"Dega Church"--continued to be prevented from gathering to worship.
The number of reported incidents was significantly lower than in
previous reporting periods and appeared to reflect individual local
bias rather than central government policy. In some instances the
local officials involved apologized and were reprimanded or fired.

As in previous years, there were indications that provincial officials
rebuked local authorities for harassing house churches in
contravention of the Prime Minister's Instruction on Protestantism. In
a few incidents in Tra Vinh Province, local authorities reportedly
harassed groups that submitted registration applications. Other
Protestant churches in Ha Giang, Quang Ngai, Long An, Binh Duong, and
Dong Nai also reported difficulties from local officials after
submitting church registration applications.

Abuses of Religious Freedom

Reports of abuses of religious freedom remained at a consistent level
compared with the previous reporting period. Some religious believers
continued to experience harassment or repression, particularly those
who had not applied for or been granted legal sanction. In a number of
instances, local officials forced church gatherings to cease, closed
unregistered house churches, and pressured individuals to renounce
their religious beliefs.

The implementation of the legal framework on religion remained an
uneven process, especially in the North and Northwest Highlands. Many
pastors and priests reported that police and other authorities had not
implemented fully these revised legal codes. Some Protestants in these
areas reported that local officials used legal pretexts to prevent or
complicate registration.

Several small house churches affiliated with the Inter-Evangelistic
Movement (IEM) continued to report difficulties in several locations
in Dien Bien Province, where police in past years actively broke up
meetings of worshippers and local authorities refused to register IEM
meeting points, and authorities pressured followers to abandon their
faith.

Nguyen Thanh Nam from Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District in Da Nang was
allegedly interrogated and beaten on two occasions during police
detention over his planning and participation in the May 2010 funeral
of Ho Nu and burial in a local Catholic cemetery. Local officials had
earlier announced an agreement with Catholic officials to close the
cemetery for further burials, and to use the larger area for
ecotourism development. As police intervened to stop the burial
service, the protesting parishioners reportedly attacked police in an
effort to enter the cemetery, and violence between police and
parishioners ensued.

In May and June, two small house churches affiliated with the
unrecognized United Gospel Outreach Church reported local officials
and police disrupted services in Long An and Tien Giang Provinces.

Two Protestant churches in Hue, a Free Methodist Church and Gospel of
Christ Church, reported harassment in on four occasions between
December 2009 and June 2010 when police and local officials closed
services multiple times and accused local pastors of violating the law
for "gathering illegally." Lay preachers and parishioners were
reportedly questioned by police, and local officials refused to
recognize either small congregation due to the fact that the
denominations were not recognized by the national government. Both
churches had earlier applied for registration but were denied.

In May 2010 the UBCV in Da Nang was prohibited by police from holding
Vesak Day celebrations to honor Buddha's birthday. Approximately 300
followers were denied entry into the Giac Minh Pagoda for the
celebrations. In Ho Chi Minh City the UBCV experienced an overall
decrease in interference by government officials during the reporting
period but experienced heightened police observation during Vesak Day
activities. Police monitored the celebrations on May 28 at the Giac
Hoa and Lien Tri pagodas but did not intervene. UBCV officials claimed
attendance by followers at the celebrations was lower than normal, due
to the increased police presence. Some followers stated that they were
questioned by police officers after celebrations at the Lien Tri
pagoda. In contrast UBCV Supreme Patriarch Thich Quang Do traveled
without difficulty to Quoc An Pagoda in Hue and delivered a sermon to
approximately 700 followers about the importance of Buddha's birthday.
Security officials did not intervene and the UBCV erected a large
platform and hung UBCV banners from the pagoda without incident.

In May 2010 a priest with the unrecognized Cao Dai faith in Tay Ninh
was convicted for "slandering an on-duty official" according to the
MPS-affiliated People's Police newspaper. The priest was arrested in
November 2009 after criticizing several police officers for actions
against religious followers of the unrecognized Cao Dai faith. The
priest in 2008 had led a protest of over 300 followers of the
unrecognized Cao Dai faith to the Cao Dai Holy See in order to
denounce the current leader of the official organization and demand
the officially recognized church return properties, including the Cao
Dai Holy See, to the unrecognized church.

In Da Nang in May, police and local officials twice visited the local
congregation of the United Presbyterian Church to close services due
to the fact that the church was not recognized nationally, according
to church officials. The local congregation had applied multiple times
for local registration without success. Earlier in July 2009, police
questioned five visiting pastors affiliated with the church and
accused them of illegal evangelization. The Da Nang Police newspaper
reported the case and claimed that nine books on religion were
confiscated and that police were continuing to investigate the case.

A foreign pastor of the Korean Baptist Community in Ho Chi Minh City
was questioned by police in May and asked to discontinue assistance to
the unregistered United Baptist Church. Police threatened to cancel
the pastor's visa although they did not do so.

In Hai Phong Province in May, dozens of individuals were temporarily
detained for participating in a house church Protestant vigil at a
downtown stadium.

In April representatives from the Plum Village community headquartered
in France met with the representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in
France to discuss the community's activities in the country. Twice,
Vietnam's Vice Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son also offered to meet
with their leader, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, but Thich Nhat Hanh did
not accept the offer. In February 2009 Thich Nhat Hanh had called on
the government to release all political prisoners, to disband the
"religious police," and to establish an "independent Buddhist church"
not connected to politics. Violence began in June 2009 when a group of
vigilantes attacked the Plum Village meditation center and dormitories
in the Bat Nha monastery compound in Lam Dong Province. The attack
occurred in the presence of uniformed and plainclothes police, who did
nothing to prevent it. Resident Bat Nha monks, opposed to the Plum
Village community's presence in the pagoda, isolated the group and cut
off their water and electricity from June until the end of September.
CRA instructed local authorities to evict the Plum Village community
from the pagoda, failed to prevent the attacks and punish those
involved, and appeared to favor one side in the dispute. On September
27 a large mob, in coordination and alleged participation with
plainclothes police, beat and forcibly evicted approximately 150 Plum
Village monks from the Bat Nha pagoda. The monks then sought refuge at
the nearby Phuoc Hue pagoda. On September 28 the remaining 200 Plum
Village nuns were also forcibly evicted and joined the monks at Phuoc
Hue. In November two pagodas in Dong Nai and Lam Dong provinces
petitioned the central VBS and CRA to allow them to sponsor the Plum
Village monks and nuns. The CRA rejected these petitions, claiming
that the Plum Village community "failed to obey the law" and "caused
disunity" among Buddhists, ordering the Lam Dong provincial VBS to
force the monks and nuns to disband and return to their home provinces
by December 31, 2009. The Plum Village community of monks and nuns
voluntarily left the pagoda in late December. Another group of 21 Plum
Village monks and nuns were forcibly evicted from a pagoda in Khanh
Hoa Province on November 29. Several hundred monks and nuns from the
community left the country in December 2009 following harassment from
authorities in several provinces. The leader of the Vietnamese members
of the community remained under the observation of authorities in
Hanoi. At the end of the reporting period, many of the Plum Village
community had left for Thailand and remained there.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and Vietnam alleged that a
congregation of 200 followers in Binh Phuoc Province was harassed by
police and prevented from celebrating Easter services.

In a period between July 2009 and March 2010 Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton,
the head of the Full Gospel Church in Thanh Hoa Province, reported
repeated and extended harassment and beatings by local and provincial
police at several different Full Gospel meeting points in Thanh Hoa.
Local officials interrupted numerous church gatherings, detaining and
physically abusing church members and leadership, including Pastor Ton
and his family. Despite Pastor Ton's repeated requests, local
officials did not investigate the actions of security officials and
those hired to conduct the physical attacks. Pastor Ton was a close
affiliate of dissidents Le Thi Cong Nhan and Do Nam Hai and a member
of the "Bloc 8406" political movement.

In January 2010 following police demolition of the large concrete
cross at the Dong Chiem Catholic parish, several hundred parishioners
protested the action. Police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and
beat approximately a dozen individuals. The Hanoi Archdiocese issued a
statement calling the police actions "sacrilege" and "savage."
Archbishop Kiet visited the injured. Following the altercation,
followers erected a similar cross made out of bamboo, which was later
removed by security officials. Two weeks following the original
incident, a Catholic monk affiliated with the Redemptorist Thai Ha
parish in Hanoi was beaten unconscious by police as he tried to enter
the parish near where the cross was demolished. In February a group of
nuns and other Catholics from Ho Chi Minh City making a pilgrimage to
the parish were harassed by police and denied entry. Six Catholic
parishioners involved in the original protest were detained and later
released. The government alleged that the cross had been constructed
without permission on land controlled by the military and was not
removed upon request. The government claimed that no parishioners were
injured in the demolition of the cross and that those who were
detained had assaulted police.



In January 2010 in Phu Yen Province, two lay preachers affiliated with
the Good News Mission Church, Ksor Y Du and Kpa Y Ko, were arrested
for alleged connections with the United Front for the Liberation of
Oppressed Races (FULRO) and for opposing the government. Following the
end of the Vietnam War, FULRO led an armed guerilla campaign that
sought the creation of an independent Montagnard state in the Central
Highlands. Ksor Y Du had allegedly been handcuffed and dragged behind
a motorbike to the police station. In response to questions from the
embassy and consulate surrounding the arrests, CRA officials claimed
that both individuals had prior convictions for “illegally crossing
the border" and had served three-year prison sentences. CRA asserted
that both had long-time connections with FULRO, even following their
release from prison less than two years prior, and had been "embroiled
by hostile forces" in a plot to encourage a separatist movement by
sowing division among ethnic communities. Both remained in detention
pending trial at the end of the reporting period.

In Dong Nai Province, a dispute between representatives of the
officially recognized Cao Dai Church and an unrecognized congregation
led to the eviction of the unrecognized congregation, critical of the
Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh, from a Cao Dai meeting house long
controlled by the unrecognized congregation. In December 2009 members
of the official executive council forcefully removed the unrecognized
followers and their possessions from the meeting house in the presence
of local authorities and police. Leaders of the officially recognized
Cao Dai faith acknowledged the divisions and said that the
unrecognized congregation had been asked to disband and return the
property several times previously but without success. The
congregation was evicted in January 2010.


In January 2010 in Vinh Long Province, the head of the Good News
Mission Church organized a two-week Bible training class for 19 lay
pastors at a prayer house in Tan Phu Commune of Tam Binh District in
Vinh Long Province. The class was interrupted multiple times by local
officials who directed participants to leave since the church had not
received national registration. The pastors refused to vacate and
police forcefully escorted them to the police station for
interrogation. The group was held throughout the day for questioning
and was escorted back to the prayer house in the evening for a public
denunciation session of community leaders for breaking the law by
gathering illegally and resisting government officials. The owner of
the prayer house was fined $53 (VND 1 million) and the head of the
church was instructed not to inform outsiders about the incident.

In December a newly-formed United Baptist Church congregation in Dong
Van District in Ha Giang Province was harassed by local officials and
was told to close services due to their lack of received national
registration. The congregation had been denied local registration
despite filing repeated applications.

Police entered the United Gospel Outreach Church in Ho Chi Minh City
in November, instructed the leader of the church to remove the cross
from the church building, and directed the church to cease meeting at
the facility. The church had attempted numerous times to register
since 2006 but local officials repeatedly denied their applications.

In August 2009 in Ho Chi Minh City, local officials and police
disrupted a church service of the Independent Baptist Church of Love.
Police threatened all parishioners with fines. They accused the pastor
of spreading Protestantism illegally and directed services cease until
the congregation was registered. The pastor stated that he had twice
attempted to register his congregation with no response from local
authorities.

In August 2009 the Protestant Vietnam People Christian Evangelical
Fellowship Church in Kien Giang Province alleged regular assaults from
local thugs under orders from provincial police. Local police
regularly questioned the leader of the church. The church submitted an
application for registration in August, but officials denied
registration stating that the church did not meet the criteria for
registration.

In July 2009 house churches affiliated with the Ecclesia Revival
Church in Hanoi and the Agape Baptist Church in Hung Yen were harassed
by local officials and police and were told not to meet again under
threat of arrest.

In July 2009, a pastor from the Good News Mission Church in Dak Lak
Province was publicly denounced and sentenced to three months of
"local re-education" for conducting training for ethnic minority
church leaders at his home. The sentence required attendance at
political courses and government permission before traveling.
Approximately 120 persons, mostly local officials and police, attended
the trial which was later televised. The pastor had previously applied
for permission to conduct the training but was denied. Police also
interrupted services at a church service, seizing hymnals and
detaining the pastor and several parishioners for questioning.

Lau Nhia Po was arrested and later released for killing his mother in
February 2009 because of her conversion to Christianity. Following his
brief imprisonment and release, he allegedly killed another Christian
for religious reasons. After repeated inquiries by foreign diplomats,
he was arrested in July 2009 and convicted and sentenced to five years
imprisonment in Ha Giang Province.

Individuals and churches affiliated with Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh,
including the Vietnam People's Christian Evangelical Fellowship Church
(UKCC-VPCEF) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and
Vietnam, continued to face difficulties from local officials due to
Pastor Chinh's strident denunciations of the government and communism.
The government continued to claim that Pastor Chinh used his position
to conduct political activities.

On April 5, 2009, echoing previous incidents of violence against Khmer
ethnic minority Protestants in Tra Vinh Province by fellow Khmer, a
Protestant lay pastor affiliated with the UKCC-VPCEF in Tra Vinh
Province was killed, allegedly by other members of the Khmer ethnic
minority. The government claimed the victim was not a religious
believer and reported that he died in a traffic accident. However,
several other sources confirmed that he was a lay pastor and was
beaten to death after conducting evangelistic activities. Some reports
alleged the violence was instigated by local Buddhist leaders and
sanctioned by local officials. Virtually all Protestants throughout
the province experienced harassment and difficulties in holding
services. The government failed to prosecute those responsible for the
death.

In November 2008 local officials from Minh Ngoc Commune of Bac Me
District in Ha Giang Province threatened to fine congregants $3 (VND
50,000) and deacons $29 (VND 500,000) each if they continued meeting.

Despite recent improvements, some members of the Full Gospel Church in
Hieu Tu Commune of Tieu Can District in Tra Vinh Province alleged that
local government agencies, such as the Women's Union, and
hunger-elimination and poverty-relief related agencies continued to
deny Protestants the right to conduct services or asked Protestant
followers to renounce their faith as a precondition for assistance.

In the Central Highlands, SECV congregations in some districts of Dak
Lak Province reported slow progress in registering new meeting points.
In November 2008 a Protestant house church in Dak Lak Province agreed
to the request of local authorities to stop operating an in-residence
Bible school for lay pastors.

Catholic priest Pham Van Loi continued to live under conditions
resembling house arrest reportedly because of his political beliefs or
attempts to form political organizations, despite the apparent lack of
any official charges against him. The CRA asserted that Father Loi was
not under house arrest and that the government did not restrict his
religious activities. The movement of a number of other UBCV, Cao Dai,
Catholic, Hoa Hao, and Protestant dignitaries and believers was
occasionally restricted or monitored by police.

Forced Religious Conversion

Decree 22 states, "Acts to force citizens to follow a religion or
renounce their faith...are not allowed." The Prime Minister's
Instruction on Protestantism contained a similarly worded statement.
Although government officials stated forced conversions or
renunciation of faith had always been illegal, these were the first
legal documents to state so explicitly. Religious contacts from the
Central and Northwest Highlands reported attempts by local authorities
to force renunciations continued to decrease. A few incidents were
reported during in central Kon Tum Province, Southern Tra Vinh
Province, and Northern Dien Bien and Lao Cai Provinces.

Local officials in several northwestern villages continued to attempt
to convince or force H'mong Protestants to recant their faith. Local
authorities encouraged clan elders to pressure members of their
extended families to cease practicing Christianity and to return to
traditional practices.

In Pha Xom Village in Xa Dung commune of Dien Bien Dong District in
Dien Bien Province, in June 2010, the village chief asked several
Protestant households to renounce their faith by December 2010 and
return to traditional beliefs, or face expulsion from the village. The
individuals claimed they were also fined $10.50 (VND 200,000).

In Dien Bien Dong District of Dien Bien Province in December 2009,
district officials pressured 10 Christian convert families in the Ho
Kaw Village in Nam Son Commune to return to their traditional beliefs.
Three ethnic Protestant H'mongs, Sung Cua Po, Sung A Sinh, and Hang A
Xa, who refused to renounce Christianity were allegedly detained,
handcuffed, and beaten by police in order to force them to renounce
their faith. Following the beatings, most Christians in the village
stopped practicing their religion under pressure from local officials
and family members. It was alleged that each paid fines of 33 pounds
(15 kilograms) of pork and alcohol to gain release. Later in December
local police and authorities allegedly took Po and his wife to meet
members of their extended family to exert further pressure on them to
return to traditional beliefs. After additional police threats, Po
signed a renunciation of Christianity. In March, Po and his family
fled his home after continued abuse from authorities and family
members, and have not been seen since that time.

In early January 2009 ECVN leaders in Lao Cai Province reported local
officials in the Ban Me Commune told Protestants to renounce their
faith or face fines.

In December 2008 local officials from Sin Ho District in Nam Han
Commune of Lai Chau Province pressured a lay deacon and 32 Protestant
families to renounce their faith, according to church officials.

Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom

Some improvements in respect for religious freedom continued during
the reporting period. In many areas Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants,
Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai, reported an increase in religious activity and
observance. Compared to previous reporting periods, the government
continued to ease restrictions placed upon most religious groups and
expanded the number of religions that received national registration.
The changes were primarily the result of continued implementation of
revisions to the legal framework governing religion instituted in 2004
and 2005, as well as a more positive government attitude toward
Protestant groups. Many recognized and unrecognized religious groups,
especially Protestant groups in the Central and Northwest Highlands,
reported that the situation for their practitioners continued to
improve overall, including increased numbers of registrations and
growth in the number of persons attending services.

Thousands of new church leaders -- Catholic, Buddhist and Protestant
-- were trained with government approval. Specifically, over 100
Protestant pastors were trained during the reporting period. The
central government continued to train, inform, and encourage
provincial and local authorities to comply with regulations under the
legal framework on religion. Nonetheless, actual implementation
remained inconsistent at those levels.

During the reporting period, the government permitted large religious
gatherings, such as annual Catholic celebrations at the La Vang
Catholic sanctuary. Attendance at Christmas and Easter celebrations
throughout the country exceeded the previous year's figures, and large
celebrations were held in honor of Vesak in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City,
and many other cities. Traditional pilgrimage events such as the Hung
Kings' Festival, Buddhist ceremonies in Hue, and the Hoa Hao Founding
Day, and commemoration of the founder's death also occurred without
incident.

Five denominations affiliated with the umbrella association Vietnam
Evangelical Fellowship organized a Christmas rally at an open field in
Ho Chi Minh City. The denominations included the registered Vietnam
Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist); the recognized Assembly of God;
and three unregistered house church groups (United Presbyterian
Church, United Gospel Outreach Church and the Full Gospel Church).
Approximately 40,000 persons gathered to celebrate, and included an
appeal for participants to become Christians. The event went smoothly
and received positive coverage in the state-controlled press. A
Christmas celebration in Hanoi attracted 12,000 adherents. These two
events represented the largest gatherings of Protestants in the
history of the country. Other large Christmas celebrations with
4,000-5,000 thousand adherents were held in Nam Dinh, Da Nang. Smaller
events were held openly in other cities throughout the country.

Catholics also held several large-scale Christmas and Easter Masses in
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and throughout the southern part of
the country with thousands of individuals participating in each event.
Several provinces in the Northwest Highlands, in areas known for
greater restrictions, allowed celebration of Christmas Mass for the
first time. Mirroring large-scale Christmas celebrations, thousands of
Protestants and Catholics participated in Easter services throughout
the country, including in the Central Highlands.

In November more than 100,000 Catholics from throughout the country
gathered in Ha Nam Province outside Hanoi to open the Jubilee year and
mark the church's formal 350-year hierarchal presence in the country.
Cardinal Etchegaray, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals at the Holy
See; Cardinal Vingt-Trois, president of the French Episcopal
Conference; and Cardinal Bernard Francis Law from the Vatican joined
Ho Chi Minh City Cardinal Pham Minh Man, 30 Vietnamese bishops from
all 26 dioceses, and 1,200 priests from the northern section of the
country at the celebration.

In January more than 70,000 Hoa Hao followers marked the birthday of
the faith's founder, Huynh Phu So, by gathering near his ancestral
home in An Hoa Tu, An Giang Province.

In October over 100,000 Cao Dai adherents gathered in Tay Ninh at the
Cao Dai Church's Holy See to hold an annual banquet in honor of the
Great Mother and Nine Goddesses of the Dieu Tri Palace. Cao Dai
leaders also discussed various humanitarian initiatives to assist poor
families in the province.

In December the government assisted as the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha
hosted an International Buddhist Women Conference in Ho Chi Minh City.
Over 2,000 Buddhist women participants from more than 47 countries and
territories worldwide took part in the 11th Sakyadhita International
Conference of Buddhist Women. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan presided
over the opening ceremony of the conference. The government also
facilitated the display of the relics of the Buddha from India at a
pagoda in Ninh Binh. The vice president, several vice ministers, and
numerous members of the National Assembly were present for the arrival
of the relics on a chartered flight from India.

The government continued to register new religious organizations
during the reporting period. The government recognized seven
additional religious organizations, bringing the total to 34. These
organizations were affiliated with 11 recognized religions (Buddhism,
Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Pure Land
Buddhist Home Practice, the Four Gratitudes, Threefold Enlightened
Truth Path, Threefold Southern Tradition, and the Baha'i Community).
The government also has granted national registration to two religious
organizations: one distinct religious group, the Mysterious Fragrance
from Precious Mountains; and one Protestant denomination, the
Assemblies of God. In addition approximately 60 ECVN congregations
were registered with local authorities. In total approximately 200
ECVN congregations have been registered.

The ECVN Church continued to grow in the Northwest Highlands,
especially in Dien Bien Province. Although local and provincial
officials registered only a handful of congregations in Dien Bien and
Son La Provinces during the reporting period, most of the remaining
congregations waiting action on their applications were able to
conduct religious services and activities without incident.

Most SECV congregations and meeting places in the Central Highlands
were able to register their activities with local officials and
operated without significant harassment. All SECV congregations and
meeting points in Gia Lai have been registered by provincial
officials. During the reporting period, SECV-affiliated churches and
house churches generally reported improved conditions in the Central
Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Dak Nong. The
SECV reported 12 new Protestant SECV congregations, and 16 additional
SECV meeting points in the Central Highlands and Binh Phuoc Province
were registered. In Gia Lai the SECV reported all of its congregations
and meeting points had registered, for a total of 49 congregations and
more than 230 meeting points. One congregation may have multiple
meeting points.

The SECV also opened a number of new churches in Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and
Dak Nong provinces. The SECV continued to conduct Bible classes to
train preachers in the region, a step toward formal recognition as
pastors. Ordination of new pastors was a key part of formal
recognition of additional SECV churches. In Dak Lak Province alone,
the SECV has trained and ordained several hundred lay pastors.

The government authorized construction of nearly 50 Protestant
churches and 25 prayer houses, including many in the Central and
Northern Highlands. For the first time in the Central Highland
Provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong, the government facilitated
construction of large SECV church buildings able to seat nearly 1,000
followers in Buon Ma Thuot in March and in Dak Nong in November. The
ECVN constructed a large church for an ethnic Dzao congregation in the
Northern Highland Lang Son Province. The Catholic Church also
constructed dozens of prayer houses in the Central Highlands and new
churches throughout the country. In 2009 CRA reported that over 190
new places of worship were built and many others received land use
certificates authorizing construction of new facilities.

The Vietnam Baptist Convention (Grace Southern Baptist) celebrated 50
years in the country in November. Bobby Welch, the former president of
the U.S.-based Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and current
Ambassador for Global Evangelical Relations for the SBC Executive
Committee, attended the celebrations and delivered the keynote
address. In meetings with senior leaders of the CPV and CRA, Welch
applauded steps taken by the government to expand religious freedom.
The Vietnam Christian Fellowship Church with over 200,000 members held
its first National Congress in September with over 1,000 pastors and
parishioner participants from 50 provinces, half of which were from
the Northern Highlands. At the Congress the church elected a new
national executive committee and adopted a national charter.
Similarly, the Four Debts of Gratitude Church also held its first
National Congress in May, elected a new national executive committee,
and adopted a national charter.

Police and other officials in several areas of the country worked with
house church leaders to inform them of the regulations on religion.
The CRA conducted numerous training sessions in the Northwest and
Central Highlands and other areas, including in Lao Cai, Phu Yen, and
Thanh Hoa Provinces, to educate provincial and district officials as
well as religious leaders about the religious regulations to ensure
that they would "implement these policies in an orderly fashion." The
CRA invited the Institute for Global Engagement, a U.S.-based
nongovernmental organization (NGO) to participate in the training
course in Lao Cai. ECVN contacts in the Northwest Highlands confirmed
that authorities allowed nearly all unregistered congregations to
worship in their homes and to meet openly, in accordance with the
Prime Minister's 2005 Instruction.

The government also demonstrated willingness to allow individual
religious organizations to train the next generation of religious
leaders. Catholics, Buddhists, and many Protestant religions expanded
large-scale seminary level programs. The Vietnam Baptist Convention
continued to administer a full-time four-year theological seminary
program. The Baptist Convention offered theological courses at
regional hubs in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Da Nang, Hanoi,
and Hai Phong. More than 100 pastors nationwide participated in this
program, which granted a bachelor's degree in theology.

Since formal recognition in 2007, the United World Mission Church
(UWMC) has trained more than 210 pastors. Because most UWMC lay
pastors were ethnic minorities with jobs in agriculture, the UWMC
created a part-time training program in Da Nang 10 days a month for
five months. In 2009 and 2010, the UWMC facilitated several refresher
training courses for many of these lay preachers. The Committee for
Religious Affairs supported the training of pastors by registering the
program, assisting in creation of the curriculum, and providing
speakers and funding. Twelve pastors also received master's degrees in
theology through online study with a theological institute in
California. Two of these individuals continued their studies and
received PhDs from the same institute. The UWMC also administered a
full-time four-year theological seminary program serving 30 students
scheduled to graduate with a bachelor of theology degree in 2010.

During the reporting period, the SECV continued to train and ordain
many new pastors, including in the Central Highlands. Likewise, the
ECVN also held numerous training activities for hundreds of ethnic
minority lay pastors (H'mong and Dzao).

During the reporting period the Catholic Church ordained five new
bishops; Ban Me Thuot, Phat Diem, Xuan Loc, Quy Nhon, Hung Hoa, and
Vinh. The church promoted or transferred four other bishops. The
Catholic Church reported continued easing government control over
church assignment of new clergy, and many new priests entered seminary
and were ordained. The government no longer restricted the number of
students permitted to enter seminary each year. The Catholic Church
operated seven seminaries, with 1,500 students enrolled, as well as a
new special training program for older students. Demand for entrance
into the seminary was high and there is a multiple year wait for
prospective seminarians to enroll. Local authorities must approve all
students before enrollment and the students must register with the
government before ordination as priests. All of those who completed
training were allowed ordination. Church authorities acknowledged that
they lacked the internal capacity to open sufficient additional
seminaries to meet demand for priests serving the growing Catholic
population.

In 2008 the church opened a pastoral center in Ho Chi Minh City to
train lay persons to serve as deacons and in other non-ordained roles.
Demand for theological studies exceeded expectations and the center
remained at capacity. The government also continued to allow travel of
hundreds of priests overseas for continued education. Of the country's
5,200 priests, 1,200 work abroad. The Catholic Church estimated that
the country was third in the world in sending Catholic priests
overseas, after the Philippines and India.

During the reporting period, the government returned five major
properties to the Catholic Church: the Tri Chinh Seminary in the Phat
Diem Diocese, the Hoang Nguyen Seminary in the Hanoi Archdiocese, the
So Kien Seminary in the Hanoi Archdiocese, a Pastoral Center in the
Dalat Diocese, and the Khoai Dong Church in the Bui Chu Diocese. The
government had previously returned the La Vang Pilgrimage Center in
2008 in the Hue Archdiocese, one of the most important historical
church properties in the country.

The VBS operated four university-level institutes, eight colleges, 30
intermediate schools, and 25 primary schools that taught Buddhism
adherents and monks-in-training. The VBS reported approximately 50,000
monks nationwide. The largest university-level institute in Hanoi had
approximately 1,500 monks and nuns attending. In May the VBS broke
ground on a new $6.3 million (VND 120 billion) Buddhist pagoda and
training center outside of Hanoi.

In 2008 the first full classes began at the new university-equivalent
academy focused entirely on Theravada Buddhism in Can Tho. The VBS
opened the university in 2007. The government provided land for the
building and expansion for a larger academy. During the reporting
period, the academy enrolled 240 students and its first class was
scheduled to graduate in 2011. In addition the government expanded the
Pali language secondary school in Soc Trang Province and continued to
provide Pali language training materials to Khmer Krom monks to
encourage local Pali language training institutes at pagodas
throughout the Mekong Delta. The government covered tuition for the
Khmer monks at all universities in the country, as it did for all
education of Khmer ethnic minorities. The school has trained 823
students and currently has 150 students. Both the academy and the
school were enrolled at full capacity and held competitive entrance
exams for those seeking enrollment.

Many pastors of Protestant denominations such as the Seventh-day
Adventists, Mennonites, Baptists, UGOC, and Assemblies of God have not
joined the SECV or ECVN because of doctrinal differences. These and
other Protestant denominations reported they were able to practice
openly and with the knowledge of local officials, particularly in
urban areas. While there were exceptions, harassment by officials of
unrecognized house churches that belong to denominations not
associated with the SECV or ECVN continued to decline. The government
held discussions about registration and recognition procedures with
leaders of a number of Protestant denominations, including the United
Methodist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
Jehovah's Witnesses.

The ECVN continued to grow, particularly in the Northwest Highlands
and in Dien Bien Province and Son La Province. Although local and
provincial officials registered only a handful of Protestant
congregations during the reporting period, congregations in the two
provinces reported an easing of restrictions and were able to conduct
religious services and activities without incident. As in the previous
reporting period, these congregations celebrated Christmas and Easter
without difficulty, a marked improvement from past years. The Jewish
Community also celebrated its first circumcision of a Vietnamese
child.

Despite protests surrounding land disputes, the relationship between
the Catholic Church and the government continued to improve during the
reporting period. For the first time, the president traveled to the
Vatican and met the Pope in December 2009. The Vatican called it "a
significant stage in the progress of bilateral relations with
Vietnam."

Catholic leaders regularly traveled to the Vatican for consultations.
In June 2009 30 Catholic Bishops met with the Pope and presented a
request for the Pope to visit Vietnam in 2010. The government also
facilitated the first-ever meeting of the Federation of Catholic
Bishops Conferences of Asia in Ho Chi Minh City in October, which was
attended by 40 cardinals and bishops from Bangladesh, India, Japan,
Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan
Thailand, and Vietnam.

In contrast to previous years, in Son La Province, Catholics were
allowed to openly conduct Easter and Christmas Mass for thousands of
Catholics at several large house churches, and a priest was also
allowed to conduct Mass. The priest was also allowed to serve
communion during Mass at an unregistered meeting point every other
Saturday with more than 100 Catholics regularly in attendance.

On June 23 and 24, 2010, the government and the Vatican held the
second round of discussions in Rome under a newly created "Joint
Vietnam-Holy See Working Group" on re-establishing diplomatic
relations. The two sides highlighted that positive progress has been
made in the religious life in the country, discussed plans for future
talks, and agreed to a Vatican appointment of a non-resident
Representative of the Holy See for Vietnam. The government maintained
regular dialogue with the Vatican on other issues, such as church
leadership, organizational activities, land issues, and interfaith
dialogue.

In May 2010 in Hanoi, more than 2,000 nuns and monks, together with
the deputy prime minister, the chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland
Front, and representatives of the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee,
and Buddhist monasteries participated in Vesak Day celebrations.
Similar large-scale celebrations of high-ranking government officials
and thousands of followers were held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long
Province, Ninh Thuan Province, Hau Giang Province, and An Giang
Province.

In May 2010 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem
announced continued preparations for the World Buddhist Summit
scheduled for November 2010 in Hanoi. Other related meetings will be
held in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh, and Ninh Binh Provinces.

Well-known American evangelist Luis Palau visited the country in
March, and the government approved his participation in a training
conference for over 500 Protestant pastors in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City, representing nearly all Protestant church denominations in the
country. Several hundred other pastors participated via live Internet
feed. In May the Full Gospel Businessman's Fellowship International
held its second annual conference in Ho Chi Minh City. The event
attracted over 100 businessmen, including many foreign residents.

Many religious groups expanded their charitable efforts with
government approval. Buddhists, Catholics, Cao Dai, and Protestants
engaged in aid programs contributing over $15 million collectively.
Their efforts included assisting persons with HIV/AIDS, disaster
relief, and work with orphans and at-risk children. A large number of
faith-based NGOs also conducted charitable activities supported by
private donors, international organizations, and foreign governments.

The Catholic charity Caritas held training courses for social workers
assisting people living with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. They also
conducted disaster relief operations providing assistance to typhoon
victims. Caritas' total contributions through the end of 2009 were
close to $500,000 (VND 9.2 billion) and were projected at $1.15
million (VND 21.84 billion) for 2010. Catholic Relief Services also
marked 15 years of operation in the country in March 2009. In Ho Chi
Minh City and Hue, the Catholic Church joined with the Vietnamese
Buddhist Sangha in supporting HIV/AIDS hospices and treatment centers
and providing counseling services to young persons. The church also
operated a shelter for HIV-positive mothers and HIV-infected children.
The Ho Chi Minh City government and the Catholic Church continued to
discuss the process for gaining official approval of new social work
initiatives.

Similarly, officials in Thai Binh Province encouraged Catholic efforts
on HIV/AIDS treatment and caring for the disabled. Hai Phong
authorities encouraged Catholic Church support on drug addiction
treatment and HIV/AIDS programs, and the Catholic Diocese of Nam Dinh
operated an orphanage. The VBS also engaged in humanitarian activities
across the country, including antidrug and child welfare programs, and
HIV/AIDS programs. The VBS runs numerous low-income health clinics
throughout the country. The city of Hanoi also approved a number of
VBS-run temples to operate orphanages for abandoned and disabled
children, along with HIV/AIDS treatment programs. Muslim leaders in Ho
Chi Minh City reported support from city officials in their work to
assist the poor. In Hue Catholic nuns and VBS monks and nuns joined
together to manage an HIV/AIDS treatment facility.

There were also numerous interfaith efforts in the charitable arena.
Buddhists, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Catholics, and Protestant churches
continued joint work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In October the
VFF, VBS, and UNICEF hosted a nationwide conference on strategies to
fight HIV/AIDS, assist victims of the disease, and have trained monks
and nuns across the country. In Ho Chi Minh City, Buddhists and
Catholics worked closely together to assist street children, orphans,
the poor, AIDS patients, and victims of natural disasters. These
efforts were concentrated in 115 centers that assisted the disabled
and the elderly and 23 centers focused on assisting the mentally ill,
drug addicts, and AIDS patients. Buddhists and Catholic leaders also
worked together to raise awareness about environmental protection. In
a clinic in Kien Giang Province, Catholic and Buddhist doctors worked
together, and Cao Dai followers produced herbal medicines. Protestants
visited the sick and provided gifts, and Hoa Hao followers provided
daily free meals for the 300 hundred patients and their relatives.

The Hoa Hao Executive Council also continued to be very active in
local charitable and development projects, including building upwards
of 800 houses for impoverished families regardless of religious
affiliation. The faith also spent significant resources on managing
local health clinics, and in 2009 spent more than $2 million (VND 39
billion) on charitable activities. In 2010, they expected to spend
approximately $1.5 million (VND 29 billion) on similar efforts.

The president of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), a U.S.
NGO, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia
Khiem to discuss the importance of religious freedom and to deepen
ties. The IGE delegation also travelled to Dien Bien Province to meet
with local officials concerning the expansion of religious freedom and
to meet with an unregistered house church. The former General
Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ, and
former Congressman Bob Edgar, also led a large interfaith delegation
to the country to examine the effect of the legacies of the Vietnam
War.

Some cities and provinces such as Can Tho, Hue, and others actively
encouraged interfaith charitable activities. Can Tho City hosted a
regional interfaith day on five years of implementing the decree on
religion and invited leaders of the various Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa
Hao, Buddhist, and Catholic religions in the province. Similarly, Soc
Trang Province and others hosted interfaith days to fight poverty
where multiple faith groups raised money together for the poor and
completed service projects.

The government continued to publicize its professed policy of
religious freedom and tolerance through the bureaucratic organs of the
state. In July 2009 the Standing Secretary of the CPV Central
Committee and Politburo member, Truong Tan Sang, oversaw a Party
Conference to review the five-year anniversary on implementation of
the CPV resolution allowing for increased religious diversity. The
chairperson of the CPV Mass Mobilization Committee and Sang both
stressed the need to further publicize and disseminate CPV resolutions
on religious affairs to ensure that religion-related laws and
regulations are fully implemented. The CRA continued to train more
provincial propaganda cadres from the Northwest Highlands to
disseminate policy information on religious freedom to reduce societal
tensions between followers of traditional ethnic minority beliefs and
Protestant converts.

Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom

There were few reported instances of societal discrimination or
violence based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice during
the reporting period.

The practice of Protestantism in the Central Highlands was complicated
by the presence of "Dega" separatists, who have advocated an
autonomous or independent homeland for indigenous persons in the area,
particularly in Gia Lai, Dak Nong, and Dak Lak Provinces. The
relationship between the Dega movement and Protestant believers
belonging to the SECV was tense in some parts of the Central
Highlands. Dega activists reportedly threatened that SECV pastors
would not be allowed to serve in a "Dega State" unless they abandoned
their ties to the SECV. Other Protestant pastors have accused the Dega
movement of manipulating religion for political purposes.

Protestant Khmers also reported harassment, intimidation and, in some
cases, property damage and beatings by Khmer Krom Buddhists in certain
districts of Tra Vinh Province. They reported that authorities did
little to prevent the incidents and, in some cases, may have
participated in or instigated the actions.

Cardinal Pham Minh Man in Ho Chi Minh City hosted an interfaith
dialogue and Christmas dinner at the archdiocese where he invited
leaders of Protestant churches, Buddhists, Muslims, and Cao Dai. The
cardinal issued a public apology on behalf of the Vietnamese Catholic
Church for previous misunderstandings and called for a new era of
interfaith dialogue.

Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

The U.S. embassy in Hanoi and the consulate general in Ho Chi Minh
City actively and regularly raised concerns about religious freedom
with a wide range of CPV leaders and government officials, including
authorities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Committee for
Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and other offices
in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the provinces. The mission also
maintained regular contact with religious leaders and dissidents
throughout the country and routinely visited religious leaders
throughout the country.

Secretary Clinton, in meetings with government officials during the
past year, called for continued improvements in religious freedom.
Religious freedom also was a major focus of the 2009 U.S.-Vietnam
Human Rights Dialogue. The Deputy Secretary of State, Assistant
Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, the U.S.
ambassador, the consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, and other embassy
and consulate general officers also raised religious freedom issues
with senior officials, including the president, prime minister, the
deputy prime minister, the foreign minister, the head of the
government Committee for Religious Affairs, Deputy Ministers of
Foreign Affairs and Public Security, officials of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs' External Relations Office in Ho Chi Minh City, other
senior government officials, chairpersons of Provincial People's
Committees throughout the country, and other officials, particularly
in the Central and Northwest Highlands and Mekong Delta.

Embassy and consulate general officials traveled regularly in country,
notably the Central and Northwest Highlands and Mekong Delta, to
monitor the religious freedom environment and frequently stressed to
government officials that progress on religious freedom and human
rights was critical to an improved bilateral relationship.

Embassy officers urged recognition of a broad spectrum of religious
groups, including the UBCV, Protestant house churches, and dissenting
Hoa Hao and Cao Dai groups. They urged greater freedom for recognized
religious groups and for ending restrictions on unregistered groups.
The ambassador and embassy officials raised specific cases of
government harassment against Catholics, the Unified Buddhist Church
of Vietnam, the Plum Village Buddhist Community, unrecognized Hoa Hao
and Cao Dai churches, and Protestant churches with the CRA, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Security. The
ambassador also requested the government investigate alleged abuses of
religious believers and punish any officials found to be responsible.
Embassy officials also called for the registration and reopening of
house churches that had been closed and peaceful resolution of
longstanding property disputes.

In the case of the Plum Village Buddhist Community, consulate officers
visited their pagoda following the outbreak of violence in the Central
Highlands and embassy officers met with the head of the Plum Village
Community in Vietnam. The ambassador and deputy chief of mission met
more than a dozen times with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Ministry of Public Security, and the CRA to advocate for tolerance,
registration of the community, and an end to harassment. Secretary
Clinton and senior officials from the Department of State raised
concerns about treatment of Buddhists in the Plum Village Community,
during meetings both in the United States and in the country.

The U.S. ambassador and embassy officers engaged government officials
following the destruction of the large concrete cross at Dong Chiem
and the violence against Catholic parishioners. The ambassador and
deputy chief of mission met numerous times with the archbishop of
Hanoi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public
Security, and the Committee of Religious Affairs to advocate for a
halt to mistreatment and peaceful resolution of the land dispute.
Embassy officers also repeatedly met with Dong Chiem parishioners.

Representatives of the embassy and the consulate general had frequent
contact with leaders of all major religious communities. The deputy
chief of mission attended the Jubilee Celebration of 350 years of a
Catholic Hierarchy in the country. Embassy and consulate general
officers also met regularly with provincial representative boards of
over 25 Protestant groups from a wide variety of theological
backgrounds, particularly in the Central and Northwest Highlands. The
embassy and consulate held several religious freedom roundtables
during the reporting period to receive updates from both recognized
Protestant churches and unrecognized house churches on the status of
religious freedom.

In 2010 the embassy nominated three senior provincial CPV leaders and
a central CRA official for a country-specific International Visitors
Leadership Program to study religious freedom in the United States. In
2010 during the visit of the USNS Mercy hospital ship for a
humanitarian mission to the country, the U.S. Navy coordinated
activities with several faith-based charities and distributed
wheelchairs provided by Latter-day Saint Charities.

Between 2005-10 USAID provided over $7.6 million (VND 148 billion) in
direct assistance to Buddhist, Catholic, and Protestant organizations
in the country in the following areas: Assisting orphans and at-risk
children; adult and pediatric healthcare and support; medical
assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS, including home-based care;
social reintegration and independent living programs for women and
children; providing antiretroviral drugs for patients with AIDS;
training Catholic and Protestant volunteers working with people living
with HIV/AIDS; pagoda counseling and end of life care; and assisting
adults and children with disabilities by focusing on social
rehabilitation and vocational training.

From the annual U.S. State Dept. report on religious freedom around
the world, released Nov. 17, 2010:

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148903.htm

Mục Thời sự Tạp chí Dân chủ & Phát triển điện tử:

www.dcpt.org     hay    www.dcvapt.net

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Hiệp Hội Dân Chủ và Phát Triển Việt Nam Trở về Mục Lục