In a pivotal move to shed light on the state of religious freedom in Vietnam and identify potential avenues of cooperation, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will hold a virtual hearing on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. ET. “Vietnam: Challenges and Opportunities for Religious Freedom” aims to address developments in Vietnam and to discuss how the U.S. government can collaborate with its Vietnamese counterparts to tackle religious freedom violations.

Over the past decade, relations between the United States and Vietnam have improved significantly, coinciding with some advancements in religious freedom conditions within Vietnam. However, despite these positive strides, USCIRF has observed a disturbing rise in instances of forced renunciation of faith and the intimidation, detention, and imprisonment of religious activists and leaders in the country. Notably, the inconsistent implementation of the 2018 Law on Belief and Religion, particularly at the local level and among minority faith communities, continues to impede the full realization of religious freedom in Vietnam. During USCIRF’s visit to Vietnam in May, Vietnamese officials indicated that the government was in the process of updating the 2018 Law and drafting two implementing decrees for its execution.