The Party and State of Vietnam affirm that beliefs and religions are spiritual needs of the people, are and will exist with the nation, and religious people are a part of the great national unity bloc.
Prayer rituals during the annual Kate Festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan at the Po Sah Inư Cham Tower relic, Phan Thiet city, Binh Thuan province. (Photo: Manh Linh/VNA)
On April 4, the Cham people following Brahmanism in Binh Thuan happily celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Kate Festival being included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to Decision No. 776/QD-BVHTTDL, dated April 4, 2022 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
In An Giang , the fasting month of Ramadan 2022 Gregorian calendar - 1443 Islamic calendar of the Cham Muslims - starting from the first week of April to May (April 2 to May 2) took place with full rituals such as: I'Sha prayer ceremony, reading the Qur'an, praying for peace and many social charity activities, sports, traditional cultural exchanges... in the respect of the community and creating all favorable conditions of the authorities at all levels.
During the festival, the Head of the Provincial Islamic Community Representative Board called on Islam followers to continue promoting solidarity, always accompanying and connecting with other religions and the Vietnamese ethnic community; actively participating in patriotic emulation movements, properly implementing Islamic religious teachings in conjunction with studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle; preserving and promoting cultural traditions imbued with national identity.
Also in April, at Ratana Paphia Vararam Pagoda (Chin Thousand Pagoda), Vi Binh Commune, Vi Thuy District, Hau Giang, Khmer people in Vi Binh Commune and Vinh Trung Commune prepared to perform traditional rituals to celebrate Chol Chnam Thmay with a bustling and joyful atmosphere.
With an excited face, Mr. Thach Bich (Hamlet 4, Vi Binh Commune, Vi Thuy District) shared: "This year, on Chol Chnam Thmay, the local Khmer people had a bumper crop, both a good harvest and good prices, preparing for a more complete Tet. The joy was multiplied when Chin Ngan Pagoda just inaugurated a new main hall, people have a place to gather for cultural activities, so they are very happy."
On holidays and Tet, people gather at pagodas according to traditional Khmer rituals, ensuring solemnity, legality, safety, economy and efficiency.
Not only are they places for community cultural and spiritual activities, some pagodas in the province also do a good job of educating and caring for monks to improve their Khmer language skills; and support monks to study cultural supplementary courses, intermediate and university courses at schools in and outside the province to improve their knowledge.
On the morning of June 1, 2023 (April 15 of the lunar calendar), at Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda (Ho Chi Minh City), the Central Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City solemnly held the Buddha's Birthday Celebration of Buddhist calendar 2567 (2023). (Photo: Tien Luc/VNA)
In early June, on the occasion of the Great Buddha's Birthday (Buddhist calendar 2567-Solar calendar 2023), Buddhist establishments in provinces and cities across Vietnam were decorated very solemnly, ready to welcome a large number of monks, nuns, Buddhists, as well as people to participate in the Great Ceremony.
In the message of the 2567th Vesak Celebration, Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, called on: All monks, nuns, and Buddhists to further devote themselves to the path of practicing Bodhisattva conduct as taught by the Buddha; praying for an end to war and conflict, for epidemics to be eliminated, for peace and happiness everywhere, for favorable weather and wind, for the people to be happy, and for Vietnam to be strong and prosperous.
Over the past time, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has always been united, harmonious, consolidated, expanded and solemnized the Sangha, tightening the close relationship between members, sects and generations; both promoting the unique values of Vietnamese Buddhism and expanding and strengthening the relationship of fellow believers and solidarity between Buddhism and other religions in Vietnam.
The bustling and joyful atmosphere is not only during Buddha's birthday, but also during the annual Christmas holiday in Vietnam, which has long become a festival for many people to celebrate together, with Catholic compatriots right from the beginning of Advent...
There are many diverse and rich religious activities that have been and are taking place daily in Vietnam. The common points of these religious activities are that they are consistent with the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, meet the needs of the community's spiritual and religious life, and are protected by law.
Religions coexist in the heart of the nation
The Party and State of Vietnam affirm that beliefs and religions are spiritual needs of a part of the people, are and will exist with the nation, and religious people are a part of the great national unity bloc.
Vietnam is a multi-religious country, religions coexist within the nation and are equal before the law. The policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam since leading the revolution has always been to consistently implement the policy of freedom of belief and religion.
In each revolutionary stage of the country, the Party has issued appropriate guidelines, policies and laws to meet the legitimate religious and belief needs of the people, gathering the great national unity bloc and uniting religions to build and develop the country.
Immediately after the country's independence, on September 3, 1945, at the first meeting of the Government, President Ho Chi Minh proposed that the Government declare "belief, freedom and solidarity between religions and non-religious people." That ideological viewpoint was institutionalized by our Party and State through legal documents, so that the right to freedom of belief and religion is protected and guaranteed by law in practice.
Decree No. 234/SL, dated June 14, 1955, consisting of 5 chapters and 16 articles, stipulates the responsibility of the Government in ensuring the people's freedom of religion and the responsibilities and obligations of religious dignitaries and followers regarding religious activities in Vietnam. It clearly states, "The Government guarantees the people's freedom of belief and freedom of worship. No one is allowed to violate that freedom. Every Vietnamese person has the right to freely follow a religion or not to follow a religion.
On June 1, 2023 (April 15 of the lunar calendar), at Tu Dam Pagoda, Hue City, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Thua Thien-Hue Province solemnly held the 2567th Buddha's Birthday Celebration with the participation of a large number of monks, nuns and Buddhist followers. (Photo: Tuong Vi/VNA)
Monks and nuns are free to preach at religious institutions such as churches, pagodas, temples, catechism schools, etc. When propagating religion, monks and nuns have the duty to educate followers about patriotism, the duties of citizens, and the sense of respect for the people's government and the laws of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...".
In the country's revolutionary process, the consistent policy and efforts of the Party and State of Vietnam in ensuring the people's freedom of belief and religion are affirmed on constitutional principles in the Constitutions of 1946, 1959, 1980, 1992, and 2013.
In particular, the 2013 Constitution and legal documents related to beliefs and religions have been improved in the direction of approaching international law and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a member, in order to ensure that everyone enjoys the right to freedom of belief and religion better and better in practice and is guaranteed by legal documents such as: Ordinance 21/2004/PL-UBTVQH11 regulating religious activities; Decree 22/2005/ND-CP guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Ordinance on Belief and Religion; Directive 1940/CT-TTg on real estate related to religion. The 2013 Constitution stipulates: “Everyone has the right to freedom of belief and religion, to follow or not to follow a religion.”
The 14th National Assembly issued the Law on Belief and Religion; the Vietnamese Government issued Decree No. 162/2017/ND-CP and other legal documents to ensure people's freedom of belief and religion.
The efforts of the Vietnamese Government in perfecting policies and laws on religion have had a positive impact on the religious life of the community; promoting increasingly rich and diverse development, and increasing the number of religious dignitaries, followers and places of worship.
According to statistics provided by Master Nguyen Van Long, Chief of Office of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, in 2003, the whole country had 6 religions and 15 organizations, with 17 million followers, about 20,000 places of worship; 34,000 dignitaries, and 78,000 officials.
By 2022, the government had recognized 43 organizations, belonging to 16 different religions, with over 27.2 million followers, over 53,000 dignitaries, about 148,000 officials, and 29,718 places of worship.
Tan Dinh Church (District 3) is decorated with hundreds of colorful, sparkling little stars. (Photo: Thu Huong/VNA)
The number of dignitaries and officials in religious organizations plays an important role in the Church organization, and is the beneficiary of policies and laws on beliefs and religions.
In addition, there are over 8,000 festivals on beliefs and religions every year, with tens of thousands of followers participating. Religious organizations and individuals are encouraged and facilitated to participate in social security activities, social charity, and community health care.
Religious organizations have over 500 medical facilities, over 800 social protection facilities, with 300 kindergartens...
From 2018-2021, 2,027 publications with over 7 million copies were licensed, including many publications translated into English, French, ethnic languages, and 25 newspapers and magazines of active religions...
National unity and religious unity are the driving force for development.
It can be said that never before have religions had such favorable conditions to operate as they do today. International relations are increasingly expanding. The number of dignitaries, officials, and followers is increasing. Places of worship are increasingly spacious, and the religious activities of foreigners in Vietnam are made public according to the law, creating conditions for religious organizations to increase exchanges, study, and delegations with religious organizations around the world.
From 2011 to present, about 2,000 religious individuals have left the country to attend training courses abroad, attend international seminars and conferences related to religion. At the same time, nearly 500 foreign delegations, with more than 3,000 people, have entered Vietnam to exchange, interact, and guide at places of worship, and attend religious events organized by Vietnamese religious organizations such as: Vietnam Buddhist Sangha hosted the United Nations Vesak Festival three times, with over 1,000 international delegates from 120 countries and territories, along with tens of thousands of people attending; Catholic and Protestant festivals such as: General Assembly of Asian Bishops; 100th Anniversary of Protestantism in Vietnam.
In addition, the State respects and guarantees the right to freedom of belief and religion for foreigners legally residing in Vietnam. This is in response to the country's socio-economic development, the increasingly strong trend of globalization and international integration, and the increasing number of foreigners working in Vietnam, including a number of religious followers.
Currently, the country has 67 religious practice groups for foreigners legally residing in provinces and cities, mainly in Ho Chi Minh City (41 groups) and Hanoi (13 groups) with the participation of hundreds of people from many countries (Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, USA, France, etc.).
The Party and State of Vietnam always affirm that the main driving force for national development is national and religious solidarity. The Party and State advocate eliminating inferiority complexes and prejudices, not discriminating against class, ethnicity, or religion, respecting different opinions that are not contrary to the interests of the country and the people, promoting the tradition of humanity and tolerance, for the stability and development of the country.
Whenever the Party has new policies and viewpoints on religion, the State promptly institutionalizes them through legal documents to put them into practice. Our Party and State also promptly make adjustments so that religious work can be put into order and in the right direction, creating trust among religious dignitaries and religious people.
To build and develop Vietnam, as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has repeatedly affirmed, "never before has the country had the foundation, potential, position, and prestige like today," is due to the strength of great national unity under the wise leadership of the Party, including the unity and gathering of religious organizations, dignitaries, and followers to live a good life, uphold their religion, and actively contribute to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
In the 15th National Assembly, 5 dignitaries were elected as deputies (including 4 religious dignitaries who were re-elected as deputies of the 14th National Assembly; 1 dignitary running for the first time); 88 dignitaries, officials and 35 religious followers were elected as deputies to the Provincial People's Council; 225 dignitaries, officials, monks and 246 followers were elected as deputies to the District People's Council; 646 dignitaries, officials, monks and over 5,000 followers were elected as deputies to the Commune People's Council for the 2021-2026 term, who are members of the Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels and actively participate in other associations and organizations such as the Vietnam Association of the Elderly; the Association for the Protection of People with Disabilities and Orphans in Vietnam, the Vietnam Youth Union, etc.
Hanoians excitedly take souvenir photos in the Christmas atmosphere in front of the Cathedral. (Photo: Tuan Duc/VNA)
During 10 years of implementing policies and laws on beliefs and religions, competent state agencies have granted hundreds of hectares of land to build places of worship such as: Ho Chi Minh City has granted 7,500m2 of land to the Vietnam Evangelical Church (South) to build the Institute of Bible and Theology. Dak Lak province has granted more than 11,000m2 of land to the Buon Ma Thuot Bishop's House. Da Nang city has granted more than 9,000m2 of land to the Da Nang Bishop's House. Quang Tri province has granted an additional 15ha to La Vang Parish. In 2022, authorities at all levels have granted construction, repair and renovation permits to 486 religious places of worship, an increase of 60 compared to 2021; granted registration for concentrated religious activities to 183 groups; and issued publishing decisions to 140 publications, with over 684.2 thousand copies printed.
Activities of ordination, promotion, appointment, transfer of religious dignitaries and officials; activities of establishing affiliated religious organizations; amending charters and regulations; registering annual activity programs... in accordance with the provisions of law; approving 646 people to be ordained and elected as religious dignitaries; 3,238 people to be appointed, elected, and elected as officials; 424 religious officials to be transferred in accordance with the Charter and regulations...
Refuting distorted arguments about freedom of belief and religion in Vietnam
However, the evil forces have never given up their plot of “peaceful evolution,” taking advantage of freedom of belief and religion, connecting with those dissatisfied with the regime, having prejudiced thoughts against the Party and State of Vietnam, distorting and slandering Vietnam for violating religious freedom, making false accusations, demanding the release of people “fighting for religious freedom”…
They distort the regulation on “registration of religious practice centers” in the Law on Belief and Religion in order to “restrain religious activities.” They take advantage of social issues regarding environmental pollution, personnel work, and anti-corruption work of the Party and State of Vietnam to distort the viewpoints, policies, and laws of Vietnam, with the aim of disturbing the people, spreading rumors among religious dignitaries and religious people, causing doubts, and reducing the trust of religious dignitaries and followers of the masses in the Party and State of Vietnam.
From a number of prominent incidents in life related to the religious field, hostile and reactionary forces have incorporated political elements, incited people to not cooperate with the government, participated in protests, created religious hotspots, accused the Vietnamese State of suppressing religion, prohibiting the construction and repair of places of worship, and hindered the religious activities of dignitaries, officials, and monks.
The 48th General Assembly of the Vietnam Evangelical Church and the 10th General Assembly of the Clergy. (Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA)
Abroad, some groups and individuals of Vietnamese exiles, through websites, regularly post news and articles accusing Vietnam of violating human rights and suppressing religious freedom; inciting people, first and foremost religious followers, to fight for “religious freedom” and “human rights freedom”; writing open letters calling on political organizations and individuals at home and abroad to speak out and intervene…
The above arguments are contrary to the reality that has been happening in Vietnam. In recent years, with the encouragement and facilitation of religious organizations to mobilize resources to participate in social security activities of the Vietnamese State, religious organizations have spent thousands of billions of VND on the activities of educational institutions, medical facilities, social protection facilities and humanitarian charity activities, while actively participating with local authorities in preventing and combating natural disasters and epidemics.
During the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, religious organizations have joined hands with the government and people regardless of religion in the fight against the pandemic as well as in the process of building and recovering the socio-economy after the pandemic.
The joint efforts and consensus of the entire people and of all levels of government from local to central have brought about positive results in Vietnam's economic development and recovery - highly appreciated by the international community and recognized as "one of the bright spots of economic recovery in the region, a successful model in disease prevention, playing a pioneering role in transforming the growth model and committing to energy transition."
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) recently held in Tianjin, China, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was invited to speak at the Vietnam National Strategy Dialogue and the World Economic Forum (WEF) with the theme: "Promoting new growth drivers to build the country's future" with the participation of Professor Klaus Schwab - Chairman of WEF, Mr. Borge Brende - Executive Director of WEF and about 50 leaders of global corporations that are WEF members.
This is the only national dialogue organized by WEF within the framework of the conference, aiming to share Vietnam's experience as a model of economic recovery and promoting growth model transformation, creating opportunities to discuss orientations, policies and investment-business environment in Vietnam.
White Book: “Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam.” (Photo: Minh Thu/Vietnam+)
On March 9, 2023, the Ministry of Information and Communications and the 4 Government Committees for Religious Affairs of Vietnam launched the White Book: "Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam." Along with the vivid reality that is taking place, the White Book "Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam" provides basic information on religion, religious policy, and achievements in ensuring freedom of belief and religion in Vietnam.
The White Book: “Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam” also outlines the challenges that need to be overcome and the priorities to promote the increasingly better enjoyment of the people’s freedom of belief and religion, continuing to contribute to helping the world and the people fully understand the religious policy and religious life in Vietnam.
At the same time, the White Book: “Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam” is the authentic basis to help refute the distorted arguments about the situation of beliefs and religions in Vietnam; provide information for people to soberly identify and resolutely fight against the distorted and slanderous arguments with bad intentions, aiming to divide the great national unity bloc, plotting to cause social instability, and sabotage the regime... of hostile forces.
At the regular press conference held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 29, in response to a reporter's question asking for Vietnam's response to the 2021 Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom condemning Vietnam's continued violations of freedom of religion and belief, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Doan Khac Viet stated: "Vietnam acknowledges that the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom mentioned the efforts and positive progress in ensuring and promoting religious life and belief in Vietnam.
However, the report still contains some content that is not objective and unfair based on inaccurate information about the religious situation in Vietnam."
“Vietnam is willing to discuss with the US side issues of mutual concern in a spirit of frankness, openness and mutual respect, contributing to promoting the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries,” Deputy Spokesperson Doan Khac Viet expressed.
Mr. Truong Hoa Binh - former Politburo member, former Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, on June 27, 2023 presented funding to support learning for Cham students from the Muslim community in Ho Chi Minh City with difficult circumstances. (Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA)
Deputy Spokesperson Doan Khac Viet affirmed: The Vietnamese State always creates favorable conditions for individuals and religious organizations to conduct international exchanges and cooperation. The practice of religious life and beliefs in Vietnam is extremely rich and vibrant. Vietnam's efforts and achievements in ensuring freedom of belief and religion for its people have been widely recognized by the international community.
Vietnam's consistent policy is to protect and promote human rights, respect and ensure the people's freedom of belief and religion. These are clearly stipulated in the Constitution and laws of Vietnam and are guaranteed to be respected in practice: currently, an estimated 95% of Vietnam's population has a religious life, of which over 25 million people follow different religions, accounting for about 27% of the population; Catholics alone have over 7 million followers, and Protestants have over 1 million believers.
At the same time, Deputy Spokesperson Doan Khac Viet also emphasized: "In Vietnam, acts of taking advantage of freedom of religion and belief to violate the law will be handled according to the law!"./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-no-luc-khong-ngung-dam-bao-quyen-tu-do-ton-giao-cho-toan-dan/869592.vnp
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