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Notable religious events in November 2025: Authorities Block Falun Gong Practitioners From Proselytizing in Thái Nguyên; Provincial Government Returns School Facilities to the Vietnamese Divine Word Province in Gia Lai; Authorities Sentence Three Khmer Buddhist Followers in Vĩnh Long; Vietnamese Government Seeks to Regulate Religious Activities in Cyberspace; Discrimination Embedded in Việt Nam’s Law on Belief and Religion, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) Said. Thái Nguyên Provincial Authorities Block Falun Gong Practitioners From Proselytizing On Nov. 12, authorities in Thái Nguyên Province blocked a Falun Gong practitioner from distributing Falun Gong materials in Phan Đình Phùng Ward. Officials cited a violation and confiscated multiple items, including documents, cards, and notebooks containing Falun Gong content. By Nov. 21, authorities in Huế City also reported the emergence of multiple groups practicing Falun Gong in public spaces, including parks, school entrances, and other communal areas. In addition, some individuals were found distributing materials, leaflets, books, and keychains bearing Falun Gong symbols, as well as creating groups and social media pages to promote the practice. In both cases, the authorities asserted that Falun Gong is not recognized by the state, and therefore any activities involving the distribution of materials, recruitment, or the gathering of participants are illegal and subject to sanction. However, while officials characterized both activities as unlawful propaganda, they did not cite any specific legal provisions explicitly banning Falun Gong or defining the practice or belief as illegal. The absence of a clear legal basis for handling Falun Gong-related activities has prompted discontent among practitioners and raised broader concerns about the protection of religious freedom in Việt Nam. Gia Lai Provincial Authorities Return Former School Facilities to the Society of the Divine Word of Việt Nam On Nov. 3, the Society of the Divine Word of Việt Nam inaugurated the Kim Châu Divine Word Novitiate, a religious facility recently returned by Gia Lai provincial authorities after the school had been requisitioned by the state for 50 years. The land was originally the St. Joseph Kim Châu School, purchased by the congregation in 1931 after relocating from its former site in Phù Mỹ. From then until 1975, the Society of the Divine Word of Việt Nam directly managed and operated the school, providing education from primary through upper secondary levels to children in the Bình Định area. In 1975, the facility was taken over by the authorities and incorporated into the public education system. After multiple petitions, the congregation regained possession of the campus in April 2025, albeit in severely deteriorated condition, marking a significant milestone after half a century of waiting. Following the handover, the Society of the Divine Word of Việt Nam renovated the site and converted it into the Kim Châu Divine Word Novitiate, dedicated to formation and vocational training. Recently, the return of religious properties requisitioned after 1975 has shown some positive developments. Notably, in June 2025, Sóc Trăng Province returned Ward 8 Primary School to the Sisters of Providence of Portieux after years of serious deterioration. These cases remain rare. Especially since the issuance of Resolution 297/HĐBT on Nov. 11, 1977, many religious, cultural, medical, and educational facilities were transferred to state ownership or repurposed as government offices, hotels, or high-end residential projects. Authorities in Vĩnh Long Province Sentence Three Khmer Buddhist Followers On Nov. 15, 2025, authorities in Vĩnh Long Province sentenced three Khmer Buddhist followers to three years and six months in prison, each on charges of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state and the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals,” under Article 331 of Việt Nam 2015 Penal Code. The authorities arrested the three individuals—Thạch Nga, Kim Som Rinh, and Thạch Xuân Đồng—in March 2025. The three were reported to have regularly posted, shared, and commented on their personal Facebook pages about issues related to religious freedom for the Khmer community. Kim Som Rinh had previously been a Khmer Buddhist monk but was expelled by the Trà Vinh Provincial Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha for repeatedly posting content on social media related to the religious freedom of Khmer Buddhists. In recent years, many Khmer Buddhist followers have been arrested and tried under Article 331 of the Penal Code. Notably, in March 2024, Vĩnh Long authorities detained eight Khmer Buddhist followers on similar charges, while in February 2024, Sóc Trăng Province sentenced Danh Minh Quang to three years and six months in prison. Some Khmer communities in Việt Nam and Cambodia continue to stage protests demanding land and indigenous rights, prompting Vietnamese authorities to apply special policies toward the Khmer population in the region that limit Khmer language education. Việt Nam Seeks to Regulate Religious Activities in Cyberspace On Nov. 21, 2025, Deputy Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Nguyễn Hải Trung chaired a consultation meeting with religious dignitaries, officials, and representatives of religious establishments on proposed amendments to the Law on Belief and Religion concerning activities in cyberspace. According to the authorities, the current Law on Belief and Religion, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2018, has revealed numerous limitations and shortcomings after nearly eight years of implementation, largely due to changes in the operating environment—especially online. In addition, since the two-tier local government model came into operation in mid 2025, certain provisions on management authority are no longer aligned with practical realities. To address these issues, the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs has proposed a comprehensive revision of the Law on Belief and Religion. The draft would include provisions regulating religious and belief-related activities in cyberspace, as well as a reallocation and decentralization of management authority to fit the two-tier government structure. It remains unclear how the draft will specifically regulate religious activities online. However, according to Luật Khoa Magazine reporters, the provisions are likely to focus on prohibiting the “abuse” of religion to propagate anti-state views or incite divisions undermining national unity. Luật Khoa Magazine also notes that the current revision process appears narrowly focused on managing religious activities in cyberspace, clarifying authority between the two levels of government, and simplifying administrative procedures. Core issues related to safeguarding freedom of religion have yet to be addressed. Specifically, the draft does not currently propose measures to adequately protect the rights of small belief groups, ethnic minority communities, folk or minority religions, or unrecognized religious groups. Even the right of individuals to practice their beliefs at home or within their communities—when their religious organization or group has not been officially recognized—has yet to be seriously considered. Christian Solidarity Worldwide: Discrimination Embedded in the Law on Belief and Religion On Nov. 18, 2025, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an international NGO, released a joint report on Việt Nam, concluding that the current Law on Belief and Religion clearly protects the rights of state-recognized religious organizations while exposing unrecognized groups to harassment and intimidation, resulting in serious discrimination. CSW noted that recognized religious organizations typically have large followings, are concentrated in major urban areas, and maintain close relations with the authorities. Their rights and scope of activities are clearly defined under the law. By contrast, unrecognized groups frequently face rejected applications to register their religious groups with the government, and their followers are subjected to harassment, threats, or violence aimed at forcing them to cease religious activities. CSW further argued that the existing law fails to adequately safeguard freedom of religion for vulnerable groups, ethnic minorities, and independent religious organizations. The report also documented representative cases of harassment and intimidation. In January 2025, authorities in Hồ Chí Minh City arrested an independent Protestant believer on charges of anti-state propaganda. Authorities also blocked several believers from traveling to the United States to attend an international religious freedom conference in early 2025. It also temporarily detained or obstructed religious leaders who lack official recognition. In many ethnic minority communities, believers are frequently subjected to discriminatory treatment, including harassment, forced renunciation of faith, or prosecution under security-related charges that authorities claim undermine national unity or state policy. Thiện Trường wrote this Religion Bulletin in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine, a sister publication of The Vietnamese Magazine, on Dec. 15, 2025.

Religion Bulletin – November 2025 – Gia Lai Restores School Property to the Divine Word Province; Vĩnh Long Jails a Khmer Buddhist Adherent

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