IGE Delegation Returns from Conferences and Celebration of Protestantism in Vietnam

By IGE on 23 June 2011

From 13 to 21 June 2011, an IGE delegation met with senior Vietnamese officials while participating in conferences on religion and the rule of law and the contribution of Protestantism in Vietnam since 1975. Additionally, the delegation joined 20,000 people in Danang, and 5,000 in Hanoi, to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Protestantism in Vietnam. The delegation included representatives from the business, philanthropic, religious and academic communities in America.  

During its meetings, the delegation encouraged Vietnam to expand its implementation of practical religious freedom programming. The IGE delegation noted that when the culture and the legal system of a country protects and promotes ethnic and religious minorities (enabling them as equal citizens), a greater measure of morality, stability, and prosperity results for the state. IGE delegates were interviewed several times by Vietnam's national television station, appearing regularly on TV, in Vietnamese and English, during their time in Vietnam.

IGE met with the Vice Minister of the Ministry for Public Security, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, and the Director General of the International Relations Department from the Ministry of Education and Training.

During these meetings, IGE emphasized the following interrelated issues: 1) the need to move forward with a timely church registration process; 2) the importance of theological and leadership training for religious leaders (especially the need for a Protestant seminary in Northern Vietnam); 3) the positive social influence that trained religious leaders can have in the context of growing religious freedom; and, 4) the potential impact that an American college or university campus might have in Vietnam (there are currently no such campuses in Vietnam).

IGE collaborated with the Vietnam-USA Society and the Institute for Religious Studies at the Vietnamese Academy for Social Sciences (IRS/VASS) to conduct two conferences. Co-sponsored by Brigham Young University, the third Religion and Rule of Law Conference in Southeast Asia convened experts on the subject from 10 countries. (The previous two conferences took place in 2006 and 2007, co-hosted and co-sponsored by the same partners.)

The conference presentations and discussion focused on comparative approaches and challenges to good governance regarding religious issues, such that religion might play a positive role in society. For more information on the 17-18 June conference, please click here to watch the Vietnam TV report and interviews.

A delegation from Laos including representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Lao National Front, the Laos Academy of Social Sciences, and the Lao Evangelical Church also attended the Religion and Rule of Law Conference. Laos plans to host a Religion and Rule of Law Conference with IGE in 2013. 

IGE also partnered with the Vietnam-USA Society and the Institute for Religious Studies to conduct a second roundtable on Protestantism in Vietnam. The first roundtable took place in December 2010, which enabled a scholarly and relational foundation for civil, candid, and constructive dialogue about Protestantism in Vietnam during the era of 1976-2011.The roundtables brought together Vietnamese government officials and scholars with Protestant pastors, leaders and missionaries. For more on the 21 June 2011 roundtable, please click here to watch the Vietnam TV report.  

Finally, it was the delegation's great privilege to attend the 100^th anniversary celebrations of Protestantism in Vietnam in both Danang and Hanoi. The delegation was richly blessed by this demonstration of religious freedom, as well as the faith of those who gathered to celebrate. For more information on the 100^th anniversary celebrations, please click the below links to watch the Vietnam TV reports:

100^th Anniversary Celebration in Danang

100^th Anniversary Celebration in Hanoi 

Vietnamese Language Version of 100^th Anniversary Celebration

To view photos of IGE's trip to Vietnam, please visit our Facebook page.

Last updated 23 June 2011