Gia Lai: Religion always accompanies the development of the province

Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Duong Mah Tiep (right) congratulated priest Nguyen Quang Vinh during his visit to Duc An Parish, Pleiku City for Christmas 2024. Photo by Thanh Nhat

Concern for religious work

According to statistics, Gia Lai province currently has 5 religions recognized by the State as legal entities: Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Caodaism and Baha'i. The whole province has about 250 places of worship of religions. Religious followers are about 400,000 people, accounting for about 28% of the province's population. The number of dignitaries and officials is nearly 2,240.

Pastor Pham Van Phuc, Head of the Provincial Protestant Representative Board, shared: “The province has allowed the establishment of 72 branches under the Vietnam Evangelical Church (South), while maintaining more than 200 activity groups in communes, hamlets, and villages. The branches have built nearly 40 churches and put them into operation, and many projects are still under construction. The province also creates favorable conditions for the church to organize the ordination of pastors. Currently, Gia Lai has 47 actual pastors and 24 appointed pastors, meeting the needs of the church's activities and religious activities. We are very excited because the locality always creates favorable conditions for the church's activities.”

Leaders of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department and the provincial Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions (first and second from right) visited and congratulated the 2025 Easter at the Provincial Protestant Representative Board. Photo by Thanh Nhat

Visiting the Plei Cham Aneh Protestant Association located in Chi Lang Ward (Pleiku City), the newest unit to hold the Council, Mr. Lol, Jrai ethnic group, member of the Executive Committee, said: “The establishment of the Association has made it easier for believers to practice their religion. I will, together with the pastor and the Executive Committee, regularly guide believers to practice their religion in accordance with the law and the Charter of the Church, promoting the spirit of “Living the Gospel, Serving God, Serving the Fatherland and the People” proposed by the Church.”

The dignitaries and believers of Phu Can Evangelical Church (Phu Can commune, Krong Pa district) of the Vietnam Evangelical Church (South) held a ceremony to dedicate the church. Pastor Ro O Tha, the chapter's administrator, confided: "The church was built on an area of ​​540 square meters. The investment cost of nearly 3 billion VND came from contributions from believers inside and outside the chapter, along with support from benefactors in the church. The church's use has facilitated the religious activities of more than 1,400 believers in the chapter, so everyone is very happy."

Catholics participate in religious ceremonies at the Ascension Parish Church in Pleiku City. Photo by Thanh Nhat

To meet the needs of participating in Buddhist religious activities in ethnic minority areas, in recent years, the Provincial People's Committee has allowed the establishment of 3 monasteries in Chu Se district, including Phu Cuong Monastery (Ia Pal commune), Ngoc Dong Monastery (Ia Blang commune), Ngoc Chu Monastery (Kong Htok commune). Venerable Thich Giac Duyen - Deputy Head of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the province shared: "Up to now, at these 3 monasteries, there are more than 3,500 Jrai and Bahnar Buddhists from several communes of Chu Se and Chu Puh districts participating in religious activities. The monasteries have harmoniously combined religious activities with promoting the cultural identity of local ethnic minorities, contributing to building national and religious solidarity in the locality".

50 years since the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the appearance of Gia Lai Buddhism has increasingly developed. Many pagodas and monasteries have been renovated and upgraded, or newly built on a large scale with rich architecture, meeting the spiritual needs of Buddhists and people, and local development.

Most Venerable Thich Tu Van - Member of the Central Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Head of the Provincial Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha added: “After 1975, Gia Lai was one of the provinces that established the Buddhist Executive Committee earlier than the whole country, in 1982, now in its 6th term. Up to now, the whole province has 120 pagodas, monasteries and more than 500 dignitaries and monks and nuns. Many young monks and nuns with high qualifications have been trained at home and abroad, meeting the general development needs of the Sangha. The Provincial Buddhist College alone was established in 2012, and has so far completed 4 training courses with nearly 180 monks and nuns graduating and is continuing to train the 5th course”.

The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) organized a Council to establish the Plei Cham Aneh Protestant Branch, located in Chi Lang Ward, Pleiku City. Photo by Thanh Nhat

Contribute to building the homeland

In recent years, religious dignitaries, monks and followers have paid attention to humanitarian charity activities, social security, and patriotic emulation movements. A typical example is the Cao Dai Le Trung parish located in Ia Kring ward (Pleiku city), a place of worship belonging to the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church. The parish has more than 800 followers participating in religious activities. Fellow believers have actively participated in building cultural life in residential areas and emulation movements, contributing to the city's increasingly developed development...

Mr. Ngoc Dao Thanh - Head of the Representative Board of the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church in Gia Lai informed: "The Representative Board always focuses on guiding all dignitaries and followers of the affiliated local churches to well implement the Party's policies and the State's laws and policies, especially to practice religious activities in accordance with the law and the direction of "Glory to the Country - Bright Religion" as set forth in the Charter of the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church".

Inauguration ceremony of handing over a house to poor household Dinh Blo in Plei Hek village, Chu A Thai commune, Phu Thien district. Photo by Thanh Nhat

Venerable Thich Giac Tam, member of the Board of Evidence of the Provincial Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, said: “In 2020 and 2024, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha organized delegations to provide relief to people affected by natural disasters in the Central and Northern provinces. This activity received the attention and support of pagodas and monasteries, monks and Buddhists in the province, benefactors, and philanthropists near and far, with a total value of cash and gifts of nearly 5.6 billion VND... At the same time, every year, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha at the provincial and district levels regularly seeks support resources, as well as mobilizes philanthropists inside and outside the province to help the poor, the lonely, the disabled, and ethnic minorities in remote areas in the province with food, medicine, and house building..., with an average value of several billion VND each year”.

In parishes in the province, Catholics have promoted the spirit of the 1980 General Letter of the Vietnam Bishops' Council "Living the Gospel in the heart of the nation to serve the happiness of compatriots". A typical example is Ninh Duc parish (Nghia Hoa commune, Chu Pah district) which currently has more than 1,300 parishioners, of which nearly 50% are Jrai people living in Nghia Hoa commune, Ia Nhin and Phu Hoa town. In the past 5 years, parishioners have contributed hundreds of working days and hundreds of millions of VND to build rural roads, install electricity systems, contributing to ensuring traffic safety, security and order...

Buddhist dignitaries and monks give gifts to people in difficult circumstances in Ayun commune, Mang Yang district. Photo by Thanh Nhat

La Son Parish located in Ia Bang Commune (Dak Doa District) has promoted the spirit of "respecting God and loving the country". Parishioners actively join hands to maintain environmental hygiene, clean landscapes, and build new rural areas. According to the Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, Vu Thi Kim Nha: "La Son Parish has coordinated with the commune to mobilize parishioners to implement new rural criteria, associated with the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life", contributing to bringing Ia Bang Commune to the new rural finish line; 11/11 hamlets and villages of the commune have been recognized and maintained the cultural title. Ia Bang Commune has been recognized by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee as a commune meeting the New Rural standards".

Mr. Truong Trung Tuyen - Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions said: "The general development process of the province after 50 years of liberating the South and unifying the country has had the companionship and joint efforts of people of all religions. To promote the achievements, religious organizations continue to guide monks and followers to properly implement the Law on Belief and Religion and Decree No. 95/2023/ND-CP detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Belief and Religion... Encourage monks and followers to be exemplary in fulfilling their civic responsibilities, living a "Good life - Beautiful religion", being active in humanitarian charity activities, social security, building cultural life in residential areas, building new rural areas, civilized urban areas, contributing to socio -economic development, preventing the enemy's plot to exploit religion, maintaining security and order, consolidating the great national unity bloc in the province".

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/gia-lai-ton-giao-luon-dong-hanh-cung-su-phat-trien-tinh-nha-post321218.html