Viet Nam upholds its religious freedoms
(Viet Nam News, April 4, 2003)
By Minh Chau
Freedom to practise a religion of choice remains an indispens-able human right.
Viet Nam is a country with many faiths, where believers of more than 10 religions live together peacefully under the same roof.
The country boasts more than 24 million religious people, or nearly one-third of the population.
The six major religions are Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao.
Religious beliefs honoured
"We were born Vietnamese before being religiously baptised," declared a Christian bishop when speaking of Vietnamese Catholics’ responsibilities toward the nation and their religion.
His view is seconded by followers of not only his own faith, but other religions across the country. This ingrained concept has fostered the strong and time-honoured sentiment of national unity, vividly expressed in the arduous struggle for national liberation and peaceful nation building.
Many religious people laid down their lives in past wars for national unification, while others have rendered considerable services to the ongoing process of socio-economic development. Their meritorious contributions to the nation have been glorified by the Communist Party and the State.
Unlike many other countries where religious differences have often triggered social disorder and bloody conflicts, religions in Vietnam have rallied behind national interests.
The successes of the revolution were due in part to the national unity policy consistently upheld by the Party since its inception 73 years ago.
The Constitution of Viet Nam enshrines the people’s right to freedom of belief or non-belief in religion.
This right is not only ensured by law but also enforced by the efforts of the Party and the State to create conditions to enable people to follow their beliefs.
People are free to attend services and other religious activities, as well as contribute to their religions’ development.
More than 22,000 churches, pagodas, mosques and other places of worship have been upgraded or built over the past decade.
Training courses have been conducted for religious clerics and believers. To date, more than 500 clergy of different religions have gone overseas for post-graduate study.
They will become the kernel for religions’ activities to disseminate their respective doctrines when they return home.
Religious texts, including bibles, gospels, Buddhist Tripitaka and other religious doctrines have been published, displayed and sold at book stores, churches, pagodas and mosques.
The number of followers of the various religions continues to grow without obstruction.
All this vindicates the undeniable fact that religious freedom has been exercised and is still guaranteed in Vietnam.
Anti-Vietnam slander doomed to failure
It surprises nobody that some foreign organisations influenced by overseas Vietnamese hostile to an independent Viet Nam have time and again made slanderous charges against the country’s policy on religion.
These forces are doing their utmost to drive a wedge between religions, tarnish the socialist regime, and undermine national unity. They have contacted discontented people at home to spread ill-intentioned reports and whip up campaigns against the Party and the State.
They have enticed gullible people to take part in activities detrimental to public order, production and daily life.
They have also doctored stories about the so-called "government’s oppression of religions" and "obstruction of religious services."
Their plots and moves are wicked but cannot hoodwink the general public.
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s meeting in Ha Noi early this week with the most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, who has long been portrayed by "human rights watchdogs" as a "leading dissident" is more evidence of the flimsiness of their accusations.
However, no country can tolerate people who carry out activities that undermine national security and unity under the guise of religion.
"Nobody was arrested or detained on the charge of religious activities," stressed a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman at a recent press conference. She asserted that only those who had breached the law had been arrested.
Clearly, every person in Viet Nam is able to observe their faith when and where they want, but Viet Nam will not stand by and let overseas malcontents stir up trouble at home. Other countries should respect Viet Nam’s right to protect its national security and preserve social harmony. —VNS
