Vietnam: Contrasting Support for Religious Freedom in Two

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001751

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TAGS: PREL KIRF PGOV SOCI PHUM VM
SUBJECT: Vietnam: Contrasting Support for Religious Freedom in Two
Northern Provinces


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1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: The issue of religious freedom
featured prominently during the Ambassador's visit to the two
northern provinces of Yen Bai and Phu Tho on June 25 and 26. The
visit was a study in the contrasting treatment by provincial
authorities of religious communities in these two poor, primarily
rural northern provinces. Officials in the remote Yen Bai had their
lines down pat, saying that believers worship freely and may
register themselves in line with central government policies, though
the unwillingness of Protestant groups to meet with the Ambassador
and the fact that no Protestant groups have attempted to register
themselves there belie such assurances. Furthermore, local
officials in Yen Bai appear to have done little to encourage
Protestant groups to register. The relatively more sophisticated
and marginally wealthier province of Phu Tho appeared to have closer
and more cooperative relations with religious groups, notably its
large Catholic community. Phu Tho officials outlined a clear set of
activities in support of the government's policies and said
registration of Protestant groups will happen if groups come
forward. Catholic Church officials there report good relations with
local authorities. Any registrations of Protestants in Yen Bai and
Phu Tho in the near future will be worth noting as bellwethers of
improvements in Vietnam's implementation of its new framework on
religion. End Summary and Comment.

Amb to Yen Bai: When Will You Register Protestants?
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2. (SBU) Yen Bai, one of Vietnam's poorest provinces, stands as a
gateway to the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam about 180 km northwest
of Hanoi. While many roads through its mountainous and hilly
terrain are paved, and much of the province has access to
electricity, some of its more remote districts remain cut off from
the electricity grid and are accessible only by horseback. The
province has over 30 ethnic groups, with slightly more than 50
percent of its population Kinh Vietnamese. It has some 43,000
Catholics and 429 Protestants. All of the latter are members of the
H'Mong ethnic group and are adherents of the Evangelical Church of
Vietnam North. The Ambassador met with Provincial People's
Committee Chairman Hoang Xuan Loc, and later with Christian NGO
World Vision International, on the issue of religious freedom.


3. (SBU) In his meeting with Loc, the Ambassador pointed out that
the growth of Christianity is greatest among Vietnam's ethnic
minorities, significant since Yen Bai has a very large ethnic
population. The Ambassador said he was sorry to hear that no
Protestant groups in Yen Bai have registered in accordance with the
new religious framework and the Prime Minister's Instruction on
Protestantism. Not a single Protestant group in northern Vietnam
has been allowed to register in the last two years, he noted. The
United States would like to be able to lift Vietnam's status as a
Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations
before President Bush visits in November, but we need to see
movement on this issue before this will be possible.


4. (SBU) Noting that he appreciates U.S. support for the "principles
of mutual respect, sovereignty, non-interference and mutual
respect," Loc said the GVN "sees this issue of religious freedom
with a slight difference." The Communist Party and the Government
"consider religion a highly spiritual need of people," and allow
religious people to practice their beliefs in line with the laws of
the country. "The State respects rights, and Yen Bai allows people
to carry out religion normally," Loc explained.


5. (SBU) Yen Bai's Catholics worship in eight parishes and 69
worship facilities, Loc said. Land issues with the Catholic Church
have been resolved, and the province does not interfere with issues
of ordination and practice. Protestant groups, which practice
mostly at home, were originally started by migrants who came to the
province. (Note: It was not clear whether Loc was referring to
people who are immigrants from other parts of Vietnam or returnees
from refugee camps in Hong Kong where they converted to Protestant
Christianity. End Note) When asked by the Ambassador why these
groups had not yet been registered, Loc said " they have not found
conditions good enough. When they find good enough conditions, we
will help them." He added that he did not think that Protestants
were discriminated against in Yen Bai.


6. (SBU) The Ambassador later met with international Christian NGO
World Vision International. Director Greg Kearns stated that it has
good relations with local authorities, and World Vision expects that
the authorities will soon allow group to operate in the more remote
and mountainous districts in the province. Kearns added that "an
opening" to do some work on technical issues with the Catholic
Church had recently become available. (Comment: To the credit of
provincial officials, the increased freedom for World Vision is a
positive sign. End Comment.)

Phu Tho: "A Model for Vietnam"

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7. (SBU) Located on plains and foothills, Phu Tho Province lies just
80 kilometers northwest of Hanoi. Its capital, Viet Tri City, is
the economic, political and social center of the northwestern
sub-highlands region, a fact reflected by the relatively large size
of the city and its public buildings. The province claims over
93,000 Catholic believers and, officially at least, no Protestants.
As in Yen Bai, the Buddhist population is also large. Religious
freedom featured prominently in the Ambassador's lunch meeting with
Phu Tho People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Doan Khanh and later in
his visit to the No Luc parish church.


8. (SBU) Over lunch with Khanh, the Ambassador turned to the subject
of religious freedom after the discussion on economic development
and requests for American investment - always the first topic
provincial officials raise during the Ambassador's trips - had run
its course. The Ambassador noted that while progress had been made
in Vietnam overall, "things have been slow - and more difficult - in
the north and northwest of the country."


9. (SBU) Khanh responded that "the Party and the provincial
government have considered ethnic and religious freedom as a top
priority in Phu Tho's development. Religious people have received
special attention." He asserted that while poverty rates in the
province have been decreasing by three percent on average per year,
the poverty rate for "ethnic and religious people" is falling by
five to seven percent per year. Some communes that are 100 percent
Catholic, such as Thuy Van on the outskirts of Viet Tri City, have
become good examples of economic development and are some of the
richest communes in the province. In assisting religious groups,
the authorities have first helped them build new facilities to
replace those that were destroyed during the war. The province has
upgraded or built nearly 80 "facilities." Second, it has accepted
the applications for 35 parishioners to attend Catholic seminaries.
Some have even been sent abroad, Khanh said. The province
facilitates the practice of religious ceremonies such as high mass,
he added. Khanh invited the Ambassador to attend Christmas in Phu
Tho, where the holiday is "a big festival." Third, he said the
province also provides its support for the nomination of Church
officials to higher positions.


10. (SBU) On Protestantism, Khanh said Vietnam does not have a
tradition of Protestant practice, but "we still disseminate our
policy to individual Protestants, which means that we provide the
most favorable conditions. Where they have facilities, we allow
them to register." At present, Phu Tho has no Protestants. But
Protestant proposals to register in Pho Tho, he said, "would be
considered and evaluated positively by this government." The
Ambassador responded that the policies the Chairman had outlined
could be considered a model for all of Vietnam, adding that the
Chairman recognizes that religious believers can be good citizens
and their activities should be supported. Given the growth of
Protestantism in Vietnam, it would not be surprising if Protestant
groups come forward soon in Phu Tho, and the Ambassador expressed
confidence that Chairman Khanh and his staff would support them in
establishing themselves. (Note: According to ECVN sources, there
are no Protestants in Phu Tho. End Note.)


11. (SBU) Later in the day the Ambassador also visited Father Nguyen
Van Dinh at the Catholic Church of the No Luc parish, founded in the
19th century and claiming about 6,000 parishioners. By way of
introduction, Dinh noted that Phu Tho has 100,000 of the 200,000
Catholics in the entire diocese of 10 northern provinces. One half
of the 14 churches in his parish had been destroyed in the war, he
said, but there is a plan to rebuild them, even though he is
currently the only priest that could serve them. Dinh travels from
church to church on the weekends conducting mass. The provincial
government has been helpful in providing new land to the Church and
it had approved new allowances for placements in seminaries so that
the parish could train more priests. Ten nuns currently live in a
nunnery, he said, engaged in service work and living in seclusion.
In regard to the Church's services, the Ambassador noted that the
United States has funding for groups that want to engage in the
prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and to contact the Embassy if
Dinh or groups he knows are interested.


12. (SBU) The Ambassador inquired whether religious groups in Phu
Tho tend to cooperate or share ideas. Groups are united, Dinh said,
noting that Phu Tho also has many Buddhists, some Protestants and a
very small number of Muslims. "I know a Protestant pastor who is
preaching quietly (NFI),but I am not working with him publicly,"
Dinh said. He concluded the discussion by stating that in Phu Tho,
his biggest problem is not the free practice of religion, but
protecting the young from "social evils."

Comment
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13. (SBU) While officials in the relatively more sophisticated
province of Phu Tho appeared proactive about the issue of religious
freedom, it is significant that no Protestant groups in either Phu
Tho or Yen Bai were willing to meet with the Ambassador to discuss
their issues, and, more importantly, take advantage of the attention
his visit could bring them. Moreover, Protestant groups in both
provinces still do not dare worship publicly, meet openly with
church officials from other religions, or attempt to register
themselves in these two northern provinces. Any registrations of
Protestants in Yen Bai and Phu Tho will thus be worth noting over
the next year as bellwethers of improvements in Vietnam's efforts to
implements its new policies on religious belief. Nonetheless, and
perhaps indicative of the near-term prospects in Yen Bai, local
officials' less-than-enthusiastic response to the Ambassador's
urging on matters of religious freedom is disappointing. At this
point, they seem uninterested in the matter of religious freedom
because there are so few Protestants in the province. End Comment.


MARINE