The promulgation of the Law on Beliefs and Religions proves that Vietnam actively participates in international integration, completes Vietnam's law on beliefs and religions, concretizes its consistent guidelines on freedom of belief and religion. Photo LAD

Vietnam is a multi-faith and multi-religious country, with about 95% of the population having faith and religion.

In each revolutionary period, the Party and State have had appropriate religious policies to gather religious people to build and develop the country, with the highlight of respecting and ensuring the freedom of belief, religion, and at the same time always realizing and placing the role of religion in appropriate places along a roadmap from recognizing the moral and cultural values of religions to preserving and promoting the ethical and cultural values of religions and then recognizing religion as a resource in the process of national development.

Concretizing Vietnam's consistent guidelines on freedom of belief and religion

The adoption of the Law on Beliefs and Religions in 2016 and the two Decrees guiding the implementation of the Law on Beliefs and Religions have created a solid legal framework to better ensure the freedom of belief and religion for the people.

This is one of the important legal reforms to fully concretize the content and spirit of the 2013 Constitution on one of the most important and fundamental human rights, including the concretization of limitation of religious and religious rights and raising the responsibility of ensuring the exercise of the right to freedom of belief and religion of everyone.

When answering questions from journalists, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said that Vietnam constantly strives to perfect the legal system, policies on beliefs and religions, especially the approval of the Law on Beliefs, Religions and Decrees guiding the implementation of this law. Religious activities of the people are guaranteed with thousands of belief-related festivals and activities held every year.

The promulgation of the Law on Beliefs and Religions affirms Vietnam’s active participation in international integration, its completion of law on beliefs and religions, the concretization of Vietnam's consistent guidelines on freedom of belief and religion. This has important implications both internally and externally, being in line with the policy of institutional reform, simplifying the current administrative procedures in Vietnam, ensuring the interests of the country and religious organizations.

At the same time, it also proves that Vietnam is always an active and responsible member in ensuring human rights, including freedom of belief and religion; is a proof against the misrepresentation of the hostile forces that distort and accuse Vietnam of violating democracy, human rights and religion.

Some achievements in religious work

Promulgating the Law on Belief and Religion to concretize Vietnam's consistent guidelines on freedom of belief and religion. Photo LAD

The motto and action of the Government in 2019 are: "Discipline, integrity, action, creativity, breakthrough, efficiency" and from the requirements and tasks of the state management of beliefs and religion, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh proposed that the State management agency of beliefs and religions needs to renovate and improve the quality of propaganda and popularization of laws on beliefs and religions; improve the quality of religious performance in the new situation.

In recent years, some achievements in religious affairs include: The formation and development of religious organizations, the variety of religious activities, religion-related foreign affairs has helped international organizations better understand a Vietnam that always guarantees freedom of belief and religion.

The religions in Vietnam live together harmoniously in the community of ethnic groups in Vietnam. There are currently 42 organizations belonging to 15 religions recognized as legal entities in the country. In 2016, the Board of Representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) was recognized and the Hieu Nghia Ta Lon Buddhism was granted a certificate of religious activity registration.

Last August, the Vietnamese Church of the Integrity of the Gospel was granted an operation registration. Two Protestant organizations are being instructed to make registration documents. In addition, thousands of Protestant groups are guaranteed to perform religious activities at legal venues.

Catholics welcome Noel in Hanoi. Illustrative image.

So far, the total land area used by religious facilities is 14,850 ha, belonging to 7,102 religious organizations. Ho Chi Minh City has entrusted 7,500m2 to the Vietnam Protestant General Association (Southern region) to build the Institute of Sacred Theology; Thua Thien-Hue Province has allocated 20 ha of land in Hue to the use of the Vietnam Buddhist Academy. Religious organizations have actively participated in social activities, established over 450 health facilities, 270 preschools, 1000 preschool classes; given care to 11,800 social protection beneficiaries.

Besides, the state always creates conditions for religious organizations to print, distribute scriptures and religious items. Since the previous review, more than 3,000 religious publications have been published with more than 10 million prints and millions of CDs and DVDs in many languages, 12 newspapers and magazines related to religion. Most religious organizations have their own websites.

International exchange and cooperation activities of individuals and religious organizations have been expanded strongly. Many major international religious activities have been held in Vietnam such as the United Nations Vesak Day in 2008, 2014 and 2019 and these are vivid examples that the Vietnamese Government has always paid attention to and respected the good cultural ethics of Buddhism in general and other religions in general.

Tran Hang