Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang. (Photo: Tuong Vi/VNA)“Do not let false perceptions affect the Vietnam-US relationship,” emphasized Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang when talking to VNA reporters about the results of his recent visit and work in the US.
After the working trip, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang took time to share about the activities of the Delegation.
- Mr. Deputy Minister, I understand that you have just led a delegation to visit and work in the United States. Could you share the purpose of this visit?
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang: As we know, at the end of last year, the US State Department placed Vietnam on the Special Watch List for Religious Freedom (SWL). That was based on subjective assessments, as well as inaccurate information about the situation of freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam.
From October 10-22, 2023, an interdisciplinary delegation and religious dignitaries from Vietnam visited and worked in the United States, exchanging on achievements and religious policies.
Through the trip, the parties exchanged information frankly and openly, shared difficulties that need to be resolved, and wished to maintain and develop the current comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
The working delegation exchanged and updated information and situations promptly and specifically on cases of concern to the US side and cases lacking information; noted the list of a number of cases raised by the US Department of State and the Office of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and requested that the US side provide timely information through official channels in the coming time (Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).
- Which individuals and organizations in the United States did the delegation work with and what was the main content of the discussion, sir?
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang: We had working sessions with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Melissa Brown; Director for Southeast Asia, Bureau of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, US Department of State Robert T. Koepcke; US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Husain; Vice Chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom Frederick A. Davie; US Congressman Brad Sherman... to clarify the differences between the two sides on human rights and religious issues.
At the same time, the change in the proactive dialogue method of the Vietnamese delegation was acknowledged in the context of the two countries upgrading their comprehensive strategic partnership after the recent visits to Vietnam by US President Joe Biden and the visit to the United States by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; and agreed on a coordination mechanism and information exchange through the Vietnamese diplomatic representative agency in the United States and through the dialogue channel with the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (Ministry of Home Affairs).
At the meetings, we presented specific and coherent arguments against the incorrect and unobjective perceptions and assessments of the religious situation in Vietnam raised by US organizations and individuals and requested that the US side not support or use one-sided information from reactionary Vietnamese individuals and organizations exiled in the US.
I also suggested that both sides strengthen dialogue in a constructive spirit, respect international law, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and each other's political institutions, and not let erroneous activities and perceptions affect the relationship, thereby contributing to enhancing mutual understanding, overcoming differences, and promoting the implementation of the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.
- In those meetings, what was the opinion of the US side, sir?
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang: The US side acknowledged Vietnam's achievements and results in ensuring freedom of belief and religion in recent times and requested the working delegation to discuss specifically the process of implementing and amending regulations on the Law on Belief and Religion, the Decree guiding the Law on Belief and Religion in Vietnam, especially the implementation at the local level, remote areas; the issue of guiding and supporting religious organizations in registering religious activities; land related to a number of religious establishments; ensuring the right to collective religious activities.
Through working with diplomatic agencies and the US Congress, regarding issues of concern to the US side, after the Delegation exchanged, clarified and provided timely information, the US side acknowledged the coordination and sharing of the Working Group.
- Last March, during his visit to Vietnam, Reverend Franklin Graham, President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, shared that when he returns to the United States, he will be an “Ambassador” for Vietnam, and is very happy to share with the American political world and people about the religious freedom he experienced in Vietnam. So during this meeting in the United States, how does the Deputy Minister feel about the Reverend’s readiness?
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang: In the meeting with the Institute for Global Engagement - IGE and the Billy Graham Organization, both said that Vietnam needs to change its approach and advocacy methods so that the US side can understand and provide objective information about Vietnam.
Mr. Franklin Graham himself said he is willing to accept the role of "religious ambassador" for Vietnam to share and explain to US politicians and organizations, and lobby for Vietnam to soon be removed from the SWL list.
Vietnam has made achievements in ensuring religious freedom. (Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA)During the visit, we had roundtable meetings and discussions with individuals and leaders of US religious organizations at religious establishments, such as the National Evangelical Church of America; Baptist Organization…; Professor Cole Durham; visited the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington DC and in San Francisco.
We also work with the World Evangelical Alliance at the United Nations; Ken Welbonn, President of the Friendship of Foreign Missions; several New York-area religious organizations organized by David Wildman, United Methodist Church; Archbishop, Representative of the Vatican to the United Nations; Heidi Kuhn, President of The Roots of Peace; and several San Rafael, San Francisco, Protestant elders.
At the meetings, the parties shared information and achievements regarding their religions. The working group explained a number of specific issues regarding religious freedom in Vietnam that the US side is concerned about so that individuals and partners on the US side can understand and support Vietnam in lobbying the US State Department to remove Vietnam from the “Special Watch List - SWL”, and not let activities and misconceptions affect the relationship and implementation of the current Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.
The Vatican representative at the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, expressed his recognition of the achievements in ensuring religious freedom in Vietnam, shared the report of the US State Department when putting Vietnam on the SWL list and the recent progress in the relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican; and congratulated the upgrading of the relationship between the Permanent Representative Office of the Holy See in Vietnam.
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia affirmed that, in his role as the Pope's Representative to the United Nations, he will support Vietnam in removing it from the SWL list and promote state relations between Vietnam and the Holy See in the coming time.
- The visit and working session also had the presence of Vietnamese religious dignitaries. They are the most vivid evidence affirming the policy of religious freedom and the guarantee of religious freedom in Vietnam. Can the Deputy Minister provide more information about the participation of representatives of religious organizations?
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang: During this working trip, in addition to the interdisciplinary delegation including the Ministry of Home Affairs and a number of ministries and sectors, there was also the presence of religious dignitaries representing major religions with many followers in Vietnam, such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Hoa Hao Buddhism, Cao Dai, Protestantism, and Islam.
During the working sessions, representatives of religious organizations also shared about their religions, affirmed to the US side about the achievements in ensuring freedom of belief and religion in Vietnam; shared views to refute the unobjective and unverified issues in the reports of the US State Department, the US Office of International Religious Freedom on the religious situation in Vietnam and the terrorist attack on June 11, 2023 in Dak Lak.
I would also like to inform that during the time in the United States, the Delegation visited and worked with the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington DC, the Vietnamese Mission to the United Nations and the Vietnamese Consulate General in San Francisco.
We exchanged and shared information on some religious and belief situations and achievements in ensuring freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam, as well as the struggle and advocacy for the US to remove Vietnam from the SWL list.
I have asked Vietnamese representative agencies in the United States to continue dialogue, listen, share, have a voice, and provide real information about the situation of beliefs and religions in Vietnam, and to lobby the US State Department to remove Vietnam from the special watch list on religious freedom; to build and strengthen the relationship between the Vietnamese Government and the US Government to develop further in the current development context; and to continue to maintain good relations with relevant US agencies.
At the same time, support the community of Vietnamese religious dignitaries and followers in the United States to participate in activities towards the homeland and country.
- Thank you very much, Deputy Minister!./.
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