Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang made the statement at a routine press conference regarding Vietnam's views on the recent news that the US put Vietnam on a special watch list on religious freedom.

“Vietnam’s consistent policy is to respect and ensure human rights as well as the freedom of religion and belief. This freedom was established in the 2013 Constitution as well as relevant legal documents and has been ensured and respected in practice,” the spokesperson said.

The nation has consistently improved the legal system as well as policies on religion and belief and Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in ensuring freedom of religion and belief and has been widely acknowledged by the international community, she added.

“The US’ placing of Vietnam on a special watch list regarding religious freedom is based on the unobjective assessment as well as factually incorrect information regarding the situation of religious and belief freedom in Việt Nam,” the spokesperson stressed.

“Vietnam stands ready to discuss with the US issues of mutual interest on the basis of openness, candidness and mutual respect, contributing to the strengthening of the comprehensive partnership between the two countries,” the official said.