Notable religious events in January 2025:

• International Community Says Vietnam Continues to Restrict Religious Freedom under Tô Lâm
• Quảng Nam Prevents Followers of the Hội Thánh Đức Chúa Trời Mẹ (World Mission Society Church of God) from Gathering
• A Monk Banned from Attending Religious Freedom Conference in the U.S.
• Lai Châu Police Label Thiên Tâm Đạo as a Heretical Sect

Đà Nẵng Demolishes Structure Allegedly Belonging to An Hòa Catholic Parish

On Jan. 7, authorities in Đà Nẵng began demolishing old infrastructure to make way for new construction on a piece of land believed to belong to the An Hòa Catholic Parish.

This land has been the subject of a long-standing dispute between the parish and the local government for years.

According to the An Hòa Parish website, Father Lê Thiện Thuật has repeatedly complained to the authorities about the disputed land, but he has not yet received a satisfactory resolution.

After the Communists came to rule in 1975, the parish agreed to let local authorities temporarily use the land for industrial and handicraft production. In return, some parishioners were allowed to engage in agricultural activities.

The government claims that due to this arrangement the parish no longer holds ownership or usage rights over the land.

In 2019, the land was allocated to private enterprises for subdivision and residential development. Since then, the parish has repeatedly submitted complaints, but no progress has been made.

After 1975, the government issued Resolution 297/HĐBT on Nov. 11, 1977. This resolution led to many religious facilities, including cultural, medical, and educational institutions and unused churches, becoming state property. The state then repurposed these properties into schools, government offices, hotels and upscale residential areas.

Quảng Nam Prevents Followers of the Hội Thánh Đức Chúa Trời Mẹ (World Mission Society Church of God) from Gathering

On Jan. 24, authorities in Điện Bàn Town, Quảng Nam Province, stopped nine followers of the Hội Thánh Đức Chúa Trời Mẹ from holding an unauthorized gathering. Additionally, authorities confiscated a wooden podium, ceremonial trays, white cloths, and various documents found at the meeting location.

In June 2024, authorities in Duy Xuyên District prevented 11 members of the Hội Thánh Đức Chúa Trời Mẹ from conducting religious activities.

The government considers the group a "heretical sect," claiming it has negative elements and contradicts traditional cultural values.

A Monk from Giáo hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam Thống nhất (Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam) Prevented from Leaving the Country

According to RFA, on Jan. 26, Venerable Thích Nhật Phước was barred from leaving Vietnam at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport due to national defense and security concerns, as stated in Clause 9, Article 36 of the 2019 Law on Exit and Entry.

Venerable Thích Nhật Phước, whose real name is Nguyễn Thanh Cườngng, had planned to travel to the United States to attend the International Religious Freedom Conference.

Authorities instructed him to contact the Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu provincial police to resolve the travel ban. However, according to Luật Khoa Magazine, there have been no further updates on the case.

In September 2023, a follower of the Cao Đài Chơn Truyền 1926 sect was also barred from leaving Vietnam at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport while attempting to travel to the U.S. for the same religious freedom conference.

Unlike the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, which was established by the government in 1981, followers of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam are closely monitored by the authorities and are often subjected to "special” management measures, including harassment.

Human Rights Watch: Vietnam Continues to Restrict Religious Freedom under New Leadership

On Jan. 16, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated in its World Report 2025 that under the leadership of General Secretary To Lam, the Vietnamese government continues to restrict freedoms of association, religion, and movement.

The report’s section on religious freedom highlighted the following key points:

• Religious groups must be officially recognized and controlled by the government. Unapproved religious organizations are labeled as heretical and are considered potential lawbreakers.
• Authorities constantly monitor and sometimes suppress followers of independent religious groups. Many believers face privacy violations, coercion to renounce their faith, pretrial detention, interrogation, torture, and imprisonment.
• In March 2024, authorities in Đắk Lắk Province sentenced Y Krếc Byă, a follower of the Tin lành Đấng Christ Tây Nguyên (Evangelical Church of Christ) in the Central Highlands, to 13 years in prison and five years of house arrest for allegedly "undermining national unity policy" under Article 116 of the Penal Code. This law is frequently used to punish ethnic minority activists linked to religious groups not sanctioned by the government.
• United Nations experts have expressed concern over the misuse of Vietnam’s 2013 Counter-Terrorism Law, arguing that the government applies these regulations to discriminate against Montagnards and other Christian minority groups in the Central Highlands.

In January 2024, former US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken once again placed Vietnam on the US Special Watch List for religious freedom violations.

A Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Follower Temporarily Detained

At noon on Jan. 9, authorities in Hồ Chí Minh City took Lê Văn Tính, a home-practicing follower of Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhism, from his home in Cần Thơ to an unknown location. His wife only learned about the situation after finding a note at their home, allegedly left by the Criminal Police Department (PC02) of the Ho Chi Minh City Police.

Authorities reportedly traveled from Hồ Chí Minh City to Cần Thơ to arrest Tinh in connection with an economic case that occurred nearly 40 years ago.

By the evening of Jan. 10, Tính had returned home.

According to the Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church, Tính is an advisor to the organization’s administrative council. Before 1975, he was a congressman under the government of the Republic of Vietnam. After 1975, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for political reasons.

Lai Châu: Thiên Tâm Đạo Labeled a "Heretical Sect"

An article published on the official website of the Lai Chau provincial police states that Thiên Tâm Đạo is a "heretical sect" that has not been recognized or granted religious activity permits by the Vietnamese government.

According to the article, Thiên Tâm Đạo lacks a clear doctrine and primarily borrows Buddhist teachings while incorporating elements from other religions. Its main practices include worship rituals, meditation, and reciting prayers.

The article also claims that Thiên Tâm Đạo spread into Vietnam through social media. Authorities have advised the public not to follow this religious group.

Thiên Tâm Đạo was founded by Ngô Tuấn Kiệt on March 16, 2017, at Thiên Long Sơn Park in California. Although the sect has been labelled heretical, the government has provided little evidence that the religious group negatively impacts people's lives or poses a threat to social order and security.