Underlining Buddhism’s response to pressing global challenges, the declaration features contents about solidarity and tolerance for human dignity, cultivation of inner peace for global peace, healing through mindfulness and reconciliation, and promotion of solidarity and cooperation efforts for global harmony, among others.
Vietnam’s Constitution clearly stipulates the equal rights of ethnic groups and the right to freedom of belief and religion, while the Party and State have consistently implemented policies that respect and protect these rights, ensuring equality among ethnic groups and providing the best conditions for minorities to preserve their cultural identities and thrive in all areas, considering this the cornerstone of national great unity and sustainable development. Yet, hostile organisations have continuously used various tactics to undermine the great national unity bloc and spread distorted allegations about religious and ethnic issues in Vietnam.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang highlighted Vietnam’s consistent policy of respecting and protecting the right to freedom of belief and religion for all people, while meeting with UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif in his recent trip to Switzerland.
The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution, and protects the rights and respect of people’s interests, along with the rights and legitimate interests of one another.
Vietnam and Cambodia, boasting similarities in the practice of Buddhism, should share experience with each other in building the great national solidarity to create favourable conditions for their people to exercise the right to freedom of belief and religion, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said on July 31.
President To Lam had a meeting with leaders and dignitaries of religious organisations in Hanoi on June 13, praising their contributions to the great national solidarity.
The diversity of religious activities, including festivals, clearly demonstrates that the right to freedom of belief and religion in Vietnam is guaranteed in line with Article 24 of the 2013 Constitution which stipulates that everyone shall enjoy freedom of belief and religion, and can follow any religion or follow none; and the State respects and protects the freedom of belief and of religion, according to insiders.
The Party, since taking up the leadership of the revolution in Vietnam, has followed a consistent policy on ensuring the freedom of belief and religion, strengthening the national solidarity bloc and uniting followers of all religions as well as secular people in the national construction and safeguarding process.
State President Vo Van Thuong offered greetings to Buddhist dignitaries and followers on the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, while visiting Hue Nghiem and Minh Dao pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City on May 26.
In their recently released international religious freedom reports, the US Department of State and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), on one hand recognised Vietnam’s certain progress in promoting religious freedom and citing some official information from Government agencies of Vietnam but on the other still includes inobjective assessments based on unverified and inaccurate information about the reality in Vietnam.
The Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group held the 10th-round meeting in the Vatican on March 31 under the co-chair of Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang and Monsignor Miroslaw Wachowski, Under-Secretary for the Holy See's Relations with States.
The Government Committee for Religious Affairs released the white book on religions and religious policies in Vietnam at a conference held by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications in Hanoi on March 9.
Religions have never had such favourable conditions for their activities in Vietnam like now, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang stressed in a recent writing.
Respecting and creating favourable conditions for citizens to exercise the right to freedom of belief and religion as well as ensuring equality among religions is the consistent policy of the Party and State.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 13 hosted a reception for a delegation from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) led by Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, Chairman of its Executive Council.
Archbishop Marek Zalewski, the Holy See's Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore and the Vatican's non-resident Special Envoy to Vietnam, paid a courtesy visit to leaders of the southern province of An Giang on November 28.
The successful organisation of the 16th United Nations Day of Vesak earlier this year helped demonstrate Vietnam’s respect for the freedom of belief and religion, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said at a meeting on July 29.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 18 received a delegation from the Holy See, led by Under-Secretary for Relations with States Antoine Camilleri, who are in Vietnam to attend the seventh meeting of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group.
The 2016 International Religious Freedom Annual Report of the US State Department still included some unobjective assessments and cited wrong information about Vietnam, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.
