Vietnam: The Baptist community in Vietnam, including the number of Baptists, treatment by police, other authorities and other religious groups, and the protection available (1997-2002)

According to the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2001, the Vietnamese Government officially recognizes Buddhism, which is practised by approximately 50 per cent of the total population; Roman Catholicism, which is practised by approximately 8 per cent of the population; Cao Dai, which was founded in 1926 in the south and is practised by 1.5 per cent of the population; Hoa Hao, which is considered to be a reformed branch of Buddhism and is practised by 1.5 per cent of the population; Protestantism, which is practised by 0.9 per cent of the population, and the Muslim faith, which is practised by 0.1 per cent of the total population (26 Oct. 2001). In Vietnam, the Constitution and government decrees provide for religious freedom, although that freedom is significantly restricted for religious groups which the government has "declared to be at variance with state laws and policies" (ibid.).

The Government requires religious groups to register and uses this process to control and monitor religious organizations. Under the law, only those activities and organizations expressly sanctioned by the Government are deemed to be legal. In order for a group to obtain official recognition, it must obtain government approval of its leadership and the overall scope of its activities.

...

Officially recognized religious organizations are able to operate openly in most parts of the country, and followers of these religious bodies are able to worship without government harassment, except in some isolated provinces. Officially recognized organizations must consult with the Government about their religious and administrative operations, although not about their religious tenets of faith. ...

Religious organizations must obtain government permission to hold training seminars, conventions, and celebrations outside the regular religious calendar; to build or remodel places of worship; to engage in charitable activities or operate religious schools; and to train, obtain promote, or transfer clergy. They also must obtain government permission for large mass gatherings, as do nonreligious groups.

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The constitutional right of freedom of belief and religion is interpreted and enforced unevenly. In some areas, such as parts of Ho Chi Minh City, local officials allow relatively wide latitude to believers; in others, such as isolated provinces of the northwest, Central Highlands, and central coast, religious believers are subject to significant harassment because of the lack of effective legal enforcement and the whim of local officials (ibid.).

In the Executive Summary of its annual report cited above, the US Department of State stated that in 2001,

The [Vietnamese] Government continued to repress religious groups that lacked official recognition. ... Repressive measures included the destruction of unregistered churches, the arrest and detention of religious leaders, and incidents of forced renunciations of faith. ... Religious groups that enjoy official sanction do not face harassment or active repression, but the Government kept in place restrictions on the hierarchies and clergy of these groups. For example, it continued to limit the numbers of ordinations to the clergy, the publication of religious materials, and educational and humanitarian activities (ibid.).

Similar information is contained in the Human Rights in S.R. Vietnam 1999 report, which was published by the International Society for Human Rights (26 Feb. 2000).

According to the Baptist World Alliance Heritage and Identity Commission, Vietnam has been a "difficult field" for Baptists (27 Feb. 2001).

The Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention initiated work in South Vietnam in 1959 ... . With the subjugation of South Vietnam to communist forces, only one church, Grace Baptist Church in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) survived; today it has around 500 members. This church and three underground Baptist churches each individually relate to a network of house churches, totalling ninety-four, with all but three in the south (ibid.).

As at March 2002, the Baptist faith had not been afforded legal status by the Vietnamese government, although it announced that its intention was to grant such status to the Baptist faith along with the Mennonite, Adventist and other house churches (Canadian Mennonite 11 Mar. 2002).

According to the US Department of State Report mentioned above, "[i]n practice there are no effective legal remedies for violations of religious freedom caused by the capricious actions of officials" (26 Oct. 2001).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2001. 26 October 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.

Baptist World Alliance Heritage and Identity Commission. 27 February 2001. Albert Wardin. "Who are the Baptists?" [Accessed 30 Aug. 2002]

Canadian Mennonite. 11 March 2002. "Vietnam Mennonites Expect Legal Status Despite Persecution (Record in Progress)." (NEXIS)

International Society for Human Rights. 26 February 2000. Human Rights in S.R. Vietnam 1999. [Accessed 30 Aug. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International.

Baptist World Alliance Heritage and Identity Commission. A request for information was sent on 30 August 2002, but no response has been received.

BBC.

Freedom House.

The Homepage for All Baptists.

Human Rights Watch.

International Association for Religious Freedom.

International Christian Concern.

IRB databases.

WNC.

World News.

Search engines:

Google.