Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Washington, May 16 (VNA) -- The largest and most diverse ever religious delegation of Viet Nam has paid a visit to the U.S. A high-level delegation of dignitaries from the Buddhist Sangha, the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church (Southern region), of Vietnam and a delegation of the government's Committee for Religious Affairs, the Government's Office have visited New York and Washington DC.

The Vietnamese delegations worked with a delegation of pastors from the United Nations' General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) and the Church World Service (CWS) on May 9 and 10 in New York and from May 11-16 paid a visit to Washington.

The aim of the visit was to create direct dialogues with religious organisations, administrative representatives, the Department of State and the Congress of the U.S. to inform them of religious freedom in Viet Nam, Le Quang Vinh, Director of the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs and head of the delegation, told a press briefing in Washington on May 15.

The visit also aimed to increase mutual understanding and multi-level cooperation, including religious relations, between Viet Nam and the U.S.

Through the meetings, both sides better realised their religious differences as well as similarities, the official said, adding that the existence of those differences was quite natural due to cross cultural reasons.

Mr. Vinh also expressed his confidence that direct dialogues would help the two countries strengthen their mutual understanding and trust and that further discussions would not be hindered by differences, thus ushering in a new period in the bilateral relationship between Viet Nam and the U.S.

Both sides shared the view that religious activities should contribute to stepping up socio-economic development and be conducted on the principle of living gospel amidst the nation, the Vietnamese official told the press briefing.

Vietnamese religious dignitaries informed representatives from U.S. religious organisations of Viet Nam's religious life, stressing the freedom of religious practice and harmony between religious sects and between the religious and non-religious communities.

Since national renunification in 1975, with the Government's support and assistance, religious sects in Viet Nam have developed, both in number and in quality, U.S. religious representatives were told.

Viet Nam's religious representatives also took the occasion to condemn groundless information and fabrications by the so-called "Viet Nam Human Rights Act" adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives last September. They asked American religious partners and friends to raise their voice to reject and prevent discussion of the Act at the Senate.

The special advisor to the US President on religious affairs had a working session with the two Vietnamese religious delegations. He praised the recent establishment of the Evangelical Church (Southern region) in Viet Nam, as well as the country's facilitation of a visit to Viet Nam by the Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The US officials and senators, who held working sessions with the Vietnamese religious delegations, admitted that they have no doubts about religious freedom in Viet Nam in recent years. Vietnamese and US delegations have discussed openly various religion-related issues during their recent meetings in New York and Washington D.C.

They showed their US counterparts the Vietnamese government's interest in religion and the freedom of religion in Vietnam. The Vietnamese religious dignitaries rejected fabrications about Vietnam's violation of religious freedom and human rights by the so-called