Violence against Christians is increasing in Vietnam, yet the Church is growing among ethnic minorities. Christians who come from a Buddhist or animist background experience the strongest pressure, both from their communities and the authorities. Christian ethnic minorities, such as the Montagnards, also face fierce opposition. All Christian groups are monitored by the government, registering churches is difficult, and a new law on religion and belief limits religious groups by controlling meetings.

Sort By date
Filter by Tag
Category

New religion-control law changes little in Vietnam after 1 year

Four families of Hmong Christian believers were attacked by their village chief and other villagers at midnight of March 1, 2018, in a northwest province in Vietnam. A law establishing government regulation of religion is ignored in remote areas of the country, where ethnic minorities continue under heavy persecution. Photo: World Watch Monitor

Christian leaders in Vietnam largely agree that little has changed since the new Law on Belief and Religion came into effect January 1, 2018. Its potentially positive provisions are unevenly applied, and completely ignored in remote areas where ethnic minorities continue under heavy persecution and yet convert to Christianity. On […]

Read More

Vietnam uses ‘national security’ to detain rights activists, UN told

Vietnam uses ‘national security’ to detain rights activists, UN told

Vietnam has been accused of “misinforming” the international community about the human rights issues in the country. The president of the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights, Vo Van Ai, speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, condemned the alleged “brutal crackdown on freedom of expression, association, peaceful […]

Read More

Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians

Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians

The growth of Christianity in Vietnam has been charted by World Magazine, which says religious freedoms enjoyed by those living in cities are in stark contrast to the country’s rural areas. Catholicism has a centuries-old history in Vietnam, but Protestant churches only sprang up last century, the Christian publication notes, […]

Read More

Vietnam: 2017 was ‘worst year’ for dissidents

Vietnam: 2017 was ‘worst year’ for dissidents

Vietnam’s communist government was criticised again this week over its treatment of dissidents. In its latest report, published on 5 March, the Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience (FVPOC) said the 43 people arrested in 2017 for challenging the state was more than double the combined number detained in 2016 (11) […]

Read More