Socialist Republic of Vietnam

In response to question from the media regarding the assessment on religious freedom in Vietnam released by the U.S. State Department in the International Religious Freedom Report 2009, which covers 198 countries and territories worldwide, Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Spokesperson Ms. Nguyen Phuong Nga on October 28th, 2009 stated:

Vietnam follows a consistent policy of respecting its citizens' freedoms of belief and of religion. These freedoms are inscribed in the nation's Constitution and safeguarded in practice. The fact that religions are growing robustly in Vietnam and Vietnamese people are leading an enriched religious life makes up a strong evidence of religious freedom in the country. However, the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2009 still includes biased assessments which are based misleading information on the situation in Vietnam.