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Key Religious Events in February 2025: The Vietnamese government established a new ministry, the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion, following administrative restructuring. Boat People SOS (BPSOS) was classified as a terrorist group by the Ministry of Public Security. Two followers of Cao Đài Chơn Truyền 1926 were banned from leaving the country. The Establishment of the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion On Feb. 26, 2025, the Vietnamese government issued Decree 41/2025/NĐ-CP , outlining the functions, duties, authority, and organizational structure of the newly established Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion. The decree states that this ministry will oversee the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

The ministry's leadership includes Minister Đào Ngọc Dung and four deputy ministers: Y Vinh Tơr, Y Thông, Nông Thị Hà, and Nguyễn Hải Trung — the Head of Hanoi’s Public Security Department.

The current Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs remains Vũ Hoài Bắc, a police colonel who has held the position since his appointment in 2022.

Previously, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs operated as an administrative agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs and was overseen by Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng, another former police officer.

Vietnam Designated Boat People SOS (BPSOS) a Terrorist Organization On Feb. 14, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security announced that Boat People SOS (BPSOS) had been classified as a terrorist group due to its alleged connection to the June 2023 attacks on police and government offices in Cư Kuin District, Đắk Lắk Province.

According to their statement, BPSOS allegedly provided support to terrorists in establishing Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ), a group accused of engaging in anti-Vietnam activities. Among those implicated are Y Quỳnh Bđắp, Y Phik Hdok, Y Pher Hdrue, Y Aron Êban, H’ Sarina Krong, H’ Tlun Bđắp, Y Ruing Knul, and H Mla Hdruẽ. The ministry also designated Nguyễn Đình Thắng, the current executive director of BPSOS, a terrorist.

BPSOS was founded in 1990 in the United States by Nguyễn Đình Thắng. According to their official website, their mission includes supporting victims of human rights violations in Vietnam, protecting Vietnamese asylum seekers in neighboring countries, and rescuing victims of human trafficking worldwide.

In recent years, BPSOS has been actively advocating for religious freedom in Vietnam, particularly for Montagnards affiliated with independent Protestant groups in the Central Highlands — a region plagued by government harassment and repression.

Two Followers of Independent Religious Group Barred from Leaving Vietnam On Jan. 28, 2025, Voice of America (VOA) reported that Vietnamese authorities blocked two followers of Cao Đài Chơn Truyền 1926 — Nguyễn Xuân Mai and Nguyễn Ngọc Diến — from leaving Tân Sơn Nhất Airport, citing national defense and security concerns under Clause 9, Article 36 of Vietnam’s 2019 Immigration Law.

A few days earlier, on Jan. 26, 2025, authorities stopped Buddhist monk Thích Nhật Phước from leaving Vietnam at Tan Son Nhat Airport, citing the same security-related concerns.

Nguyễn Xuân Mai and Nguyễn Ngọc Diến were reportedly traveling to the United States to attend the International Religious Freedom Summit.

In September 2023, the border authorities at Tân Sơn Nhất also prevented Mai from flying to the U.S. to attend the same conference.

Around three followers of independent religious groups were barred from traveling to the International Religious Freedom Summit 2025 (IRF Summit 2025), held on February 4–5, 2025, in Washington, D.C, United States. This annual summit aims to promote and protect religious freedom worldwide.

In previous years, the Vietnamese government criticized the IRF Summit, claiming that it distorts and misrepresents the reality of religious freedom in Vietnam.

No More Independent Religious Groups in Mèo Vạc District, Hà Giang Province Authorities in Hà Giang Province have announced that no independent religious organizations exist in Mèo Vạc District.

Local officials reported that 715 households, totaling 2,818 followers, have been persuaded to renounce their affiliations with independent religious groups and return to traditional customs and practices.

Hà Giang Province has been home to several independent religious movements, including San Sư Khẻ Tọ, Hội thánh Đức Chúa Trời Mẹ (the Church of God the Mother,) Pháp Môn Diệu Âm, Hoàng Thiên Long, and Pháp Luân Công.

In particular, Mèo Vạc District had a significant number of San Sư Khẻ Tọ followers. However, following multiple government-led campaigns urging people to abandon unrecognized religious groups, Hà Giang authorities declared that San Sư Khẻ Tọ no longer had any followers in the area.

Vietnamese authorities often classify independent religious organizations operating in the country as “heretical sects.” In an effort to eliminate these groups, the Hà Giang Provincial Party Committee issued Proposal No. 23-ĐA/TU , titled “Prevention, Struggle, and Resolution of Activities of Heretical Sects and Unrecognized Religions in Ha Giang Province (2018–2025).”

Religion Bulletin-February 2025: The Establishment of the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion; BPSOS Labelled a Terrorist Organization by the Ministry of Public Security

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Religion Bulletin-February 2025: The Establishment of the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion; BPSOS Labelled a Terrorist Organization by the Ministry of Public Security

Key Religious Events in February 2025:

The Establishment of the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Religion

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