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Vĩnh Long Destroys Lecture Hall at Khmer Buddhist Temple According to RFA, on April 1, 2024, the authorities in Vĩnh Long Province sent many police officers and excavators to demolish a lecture hall at the Đại Thọ Pagoda. This Khmer Buddhist pagoda is independent from the state-run Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. The pagoda built a lecture hall a few years ago, but it had not received official approval.

In March 2024, the Vĩnh Long provincial authorities arrested eight followers of the Khmer Buddhist faith, including the abbot of Đại Thọ Pagoda, Thạch Chanh Đa Ra, who was accused of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state and the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals” and of “illegally arresting or detaining people.”

Recently, the authorities have frequently arrested and prosecuted followers of independent Khmer Buddhism.

Many Khmer Buddhist institutions that are not part of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha or the Patriotic Monks Solidarity Association are often suppressed by the government.

Vietnam United Gospel Outreach Church Recognized as a Religious Organization On April 16, 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs officially recognized the Vietnam United Gospel Outreach Churc h as a religious organization after more than 23 years of operation.

This is the second religious organization (after the Viet Nam Full Gospel Church) to be officially recognized by the Vietnamese government in over four years.

The Vietnam United Gospel Outreach Church is a Protestant church. According to October 2018 statistics, the church had about 6,000 followers and 191 meeting points across 37 provinces in Vietnam.

Currently, in order for a religious organization to receive legal status in Vietnam, it must operate for a long period of time and accept government oversight of its internal structure and religious activities.

In 2021, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng stated that Vietnam welcomes all religions, including new ones. However, many religious organizations are still denied legal recognition and even face government suppression.

An Giang Authorities Obstruct Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhism Memorial for the Prophet’s Death Anniversary On April 3, 2024, authorities in Chợ Mới district blocked the Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church from holding a memorial ceremony for Prophet Huỳnh Phú Sổ's death (also known as the day of the Prophet’s disappearance or the Prophet’s martyrdom day).

This annual ceremony commemorates the day Prophet Huỳnh Phú Sổ went missing after a meeting with the Việt Minh. It is one of the three most important holidays in the Hòa Hảo religion.

However, the Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church, which was officially recognized by the government in 1999, no longer holds this memorial day.

Police set up checkpoints at the headquarters of the Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church to prevent followers and church officers from attending the ceremony. Hà Văn Duy Hồ, head of the Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church, was placed under house arrest from March 18 until the day of the memorial.

Local authorities also prevented followers from setting up altars or organizing the ceremony at the church headquarters.

This is not the first time the government has blocked the Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church from holding a memorial for the Prophet’s disappearance. Followers of the Pure Hòa Hảo Buddhist Church and other independent believers often hold the ceremony privately at home.

Another Member of Tịnh Thất Bồng Lai Temple Indicted On April 19, 2024, authorities in Long An province issued a new indictment against Lê Tùng Vân, the head of Tịnh Thất Bồng Lai temple, for the crime of incest.

According to the authorities, DNA tests showed that Mr. Vân had an incestuous relationship with his biological daughter Lê Thanh Kỳ Duyên. The two had two sons together and previously participated in a comedy competition.

Duyên is currently not at Tịnh Thất Bồng Lai, and authorities have issued a warrant to search for her.

Back in early January 2022, authorities launched an investigation and arrested four members of Tịnh Thất Bồng Lai, including Vân. State media immediately reported that these individuals were being prosecuted for incest and fraud.

By September 2022, the authorities announced they had collected DNA samples from 28 members of Tịnh Thất Bồng Lai, but the results were not made public, citing the need to “protect personal privacy.”

In November 2022, the Long An provincial court sentenced Vân to five years in prison for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, organizations, and individuals” under Article 331, Clause 2 of the Penal Code. However, the charges of incest and fraud were not mentioned at the time.

Authorities said Lê Tùng Vân was responsible for posting articles and videos on social media that insulted the Đức Hòa district police and defamed Venerable Thích Nhật Từ. Due to his old age and poor health, Vân has been granted a delay to serve his prison sentence.

The renewed indictment for incest has raised public questions about the DNA test results that were collected nearly two years ago but never disclosed.

Vatican Foreign Minister Visits Việt Nam On April 9, 2024, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Foreign Minister, visited Việt Nam. This is the first visit by a Vatican Foreign Minister since the two sides cut diplomatic ties.

Accompanying him was Monsignor John David Putzer, Secretary of the Section for Relations with States. The visit lasted from April 9 to 14.

During the visit, Archbishop Gallagher met with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà, and Foreign Minister Trần Thanh Sơn.

He also visited the three Catholic ecclesiastical provinces of Hà Nội, Huế, and Sài Gòn.

The purpose of the trip was to further promote high level engagement between the Holy See and Vietnam, including preparations for a possible visit by Pope Francis.

After 1975, the communist government of Vietnam expelled the Vatican’s Apostolic Delegate from Sài Gòn, ending the Holy See’s official presence in the country.

In July 2023, for the first time, the two sides signed an “Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam.”

Khmer-Krom Buddhists Accused Việt Nam of Persecuting its Followers On April 5, 2024, the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) submitted a petition to the United Nations General Assembly. The petition stated that the Vietnamese government has persecuted, arrested, and imprisoned followers of Khmer-Krom Buddhism.

KKF claimed that Vietnam arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned peaceful Khmer-Krom Buddhist followers such as Thạch Cường, Tô Hoàng Chương, Danh Minh Quang, and Đinh Thị Huỳnh, sentenced them to between 2 - 4 years in prison under Article 331 of the Penal Code for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, and the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals.”

In addition, several monks affiliated with the Khmer-Krom Buddhist were also arrested, including Venerable Thạch Chanh Đa Ra, Venerable Dương Khải, Venerable Thạch Quí Lầy, Venerable Kim Sa Rương, and Monks Thạch Chóp and Thạch Nha, all charged under the same article.

According to KKF, these monks have been persecuted by the Vietnamese government because they refused to join the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha—a Buddhist organization established and controlled by the state.

To this day, some Khmer people in both Vietnam and Cambodia continue to protest, demanding the return of their land and recognition of their indigenous rights.

Although Vietnam has introduced several special policies for the Khmer community, many Khmer Buddhist followers have crossed into Cambodia, saying they face persecution and discrimination at home.

Hà Giang: San Sư Khẻ Tọ Religion Eliminated in Đồng Văn District On April 18, 2024, authorities in Hà Giang announced that the San Sư Khẻ Tọ religion had been completely eliminated from Đồng Văn District. Previously, 20 households in three communes Lũng Phìn, Vần Chải, and Phố Cáo had followed this religion.

To carry out the elimination, the government formed five working groups to mobilize and persuade local households over a two-week period. This campaign was carried out as part of Project No. 23 issued by the Hà Giang provincial Party Committee in 2018, which was about “preventing, combating, and addressing the activities of heretical and strange religions in the province during the 2018–2025 period.” Resolution No. 27 of the Hà Giang provincial Party Executive Committee also eliminated superstitions, outdated customs, and traditional practices, and promoted a civilized lifestyle among the ethnic communities.

Religion Bulletin – April 2024 Authorities Use Excavators To Demolish Khmer Buddhist Lecture Hall

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