VZCZCXRO5133
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #0715/01 0880430
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 290430Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1281
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0819
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000715 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KIRF ETRD EINV ECON VM
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN HOA BINH 
AND SON LA PROVINCES: STARK CONTRASTS IN THE NORTHWEST, PART 
II 
 
REF: HANOI 697 
 
HANOI 00000715  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On a March 13-15 visit, the Ambassador 
discussed religious freedom issues with the leaders of Hoa 
Binh and Son La Provinces (reftel).  The difference between 
the Hoa Binh approach to religious freedom and Son La's 
attitudes was stark.  Hoa Binh is a model for the kind of 
leadership we would like to see across Vietnam: policy 
savvy, professional and moderate.  Son La represents a more 
traditional approach to religious freedom, down to denials 
of the existence of religion, and has been unable to come to 
terms with even its Catholic residents.  End Summary. 
 
HOA BINH PARISH CHURCH 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On March 13, the Ambassador visited Father Joseph 
Nguyen Trung Thoai, parish priest of Hoa Binh town.  (Note: 
a number of local officials including the provincial 
Religious Affairs director were in attendance at the church, 
but they politely granted the Ambassador's request for a 
private discussion with Father Thoai.  End Note.) He 
explained that in addition to his responsibility to the 
4,000 Catholics in his portion of Hung Hoa Diocese, Bishop 
Vu Huy Chuong recently assigned him to minister to the 
"several thousand" Catholics in Son La Province as well. 
Father Thoai presented a letter to the Provincial People's 
Committee (PPC) of Son La informing them of his assignment 
on March 8, but the local leadership has not allowed him to 
take up his duties in the province.  Thoai said that nearly 
all of his parishioners in Hoa Binh are ethnic Kinh 
(Vietnamese).  At least 1,000 majority ethnic Kinh Catholics 
live in Son La province as well, but there is also an 
unknown number of other ethnic minority followers in that 
province.  Father Thoai has only been assigned to minister 
to Kinh believers. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Thoai said that the region as a whole has had a 
difficult history since the 1954 exodus of Catholics 
following the French retreat after the battle of Dien Bien 
Phu.  In both provinces, almost all church property was 
destroyed or appropriated in the 1950's and `60's.  When the 
Catholic Church returned to Hoa Binh in 2002, the parish 
acquired new land to build a church.  This building has 
housed the parish since 2004 although it is now too small to 
serve all parishioners.  Father Thoai has asked the province 
for permission to lease a small amount of land on a hill 
near the current property to build another church. 
Catholics in Son La reportedly worship in three house 
chapels.  Thoai noted that given the amount of land he has 
to cover to minister to his cross-border parish, it would be 
better if the Bishop were allowed to assign more priests to 
the job.  Things are getting better, however.  For example, 
twenty-seven young men from the region are currently 
studying in seminary and once ordained should be assigned to 
the diocese.  The parish has grown with the return of pre- 
1954 Catholics and the addition of new converts through 
marriage and through births.  Father Thoai performed 100 
baptisms of adults in 2005 and performs six infant baptisms 
each month. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador offered to raise the property issue 
with the Hoa Binh PPC and the issue of accreditation to Son 
La with the Son La PPC.  Father Thoai assented, and noted 
that Hoa Binh authorities have been very accommodating since 
the Church returned to the province.  He also said when 
asked that he is not aware of any Protestants in Hoa Binh. 
(Note: The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) (ECVN) 
confirms that there are no Protestant groups active in the 
province.  End Note.)  Father Thoai did not know how many 
Protestants there are in Son La, but the ECVN estimates 
1,900. 
 
HOA BINH PPC 
------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Following the church visit, the Ambassador met with 
Hoa Binh PPC Chairman Bui Van Tinh.  Following a discussion 
of economic issues (reftel), Tinh noted without prompting 
that all religious activities in Hoa Binh have been 
facilitated according to official policy.  For example, the 
current parish church was built on land given by a Catholic 
family, and the PPC will give permission to the parish to 
buy an additional piece of land that they have identified 
very soon.  Tinh also noted that Hoa Binh Catholics have 
contributed positively to "the unity of society and 
grassroots democracy."  The Ambassador applauded the 
 
HANOI 00000715  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
province's efforts to facilitate religious freedom, 
particularly the decision to allow the parish to expand. 
He cautioned, however, that in the future it is likely that 
Protestant followers will appear in the province because of 
its proximity to other Protestant areas.  It is important 
that Hoa Binh's leadership understand their obligations 
under the Prime Minister's Directive on Protestantism and 
the spirit of the legal framework on religion when they deal 
with these groups.  The Ambassador noted that not all local 
officials have been as accommodating to Protestants as the 
Hoa Binh PPC has been to Catholics.  Tinh affirmed that the 
PPC is committed to the religious framework, especially 
since "religion never goes against the will of the people." 
 
SON LA PPC 
---------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) As noted reftel, Son La PPC Chairman Hoang Chi 
Thuc's approach to issues, including religious freedom, was 
a stark contrast with the Hoa Binh Chairman's attitudes. 
During his stilted welcome presentation he made no reference 
to religious freedom issues accept to say that the people of 
Son La have experienced spiritual and material improvements 
because of their education and training.  As reported 
reftel, the Ambassador noted at the end of this first 
session with the Chairman that one of his five main focuses 
as Ambassador is on human rights and religious freedom.  As 
leader of a province with a large number of ethnic minority 
Protestants, you have a larger responsibility in this area 
than other PPC chairmen, he told Thuc. 
 
Dinner with Son La Chairman 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) At dinner the following night, the Ambassador noted 
that the GVN's new religious framework has improved 
religious freedom in most of the country, but there are 
several instances where Son La Province could be doing 
better.  The Catholic Church was allowed to establish a new 
diocese in 2002 that includes parts of both Hoa Binh and Son 
La provinces.  There are at least 3,000 Catholics in Son La 
alone, but no priest is allowed to minister to their needs. 
Bishop Chuong has written to the PPC asking for permission 
for Father Thoai in Hoa Binh to travel to the province for 
this purpose.  The diocese will also want to build a church 
in Son La eventually.  The Ambassador urged Chairman Thuc to 
approve these requests. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador also noted that there are at least 
2,000 Protestants within the H'Mong ethnic minority 
community affiliated with the ECVN.  At least six groups 
have applied to register their activities with local 
authorities, but so far they have been unsuccessful.  The PM 
issued his instruction on Protestantism in early 2005, but 
clearly, more work needs to be done in the Northwest to 
register these groups.  Local officials who do not 
understand or do not like religion block believers' efforts 
to register.  In the past year, the Ambassador acknowledged, 
the situation for Protestants has improved in Vietnam, 
especially in the Central Highlands, but attention is now 
turning to the Northwest.  "I hope your director for 
religious affairs will take the lead in helping these people 
register their faiths," he said.  The Ambassador also noted 
that the question of removing Vietnam's designation as a 
country of particular concern for religious freedom (CPC) is 
likely come up in the run-up to President Bush's visit in 
November.  Every possible step in facilitating Catholics' 
and Protestants' faiths in Son La improves the chances that 
CPC designation will be lifted. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Thuc said that the PPC pays close attention to GVN 
policies on religion including the PM's Instruction on 
Protestantism. (Note: It was clear at this point that the 
Chairman did not know the difference between Catholicism and 
Protestantism and seemed to think that the PM's instruction 
applied to the Parish's request and not the Protestants. 
End Note).  The twelve different ethnic groups in Son La 
live together in solidarity, he asserted. "There is no 
religion here through we respect the right of people to 
maintain their traditional identities.  We do not have any 
Protestants and no religious groupings.  Protestantism was 
introduced by lowlanders so we have no chapels or churches. 
Nevertheless, we respect peoples' rights to establish social 
organizations with their own administrative rules." 
Suggestions for such groups must come from a grassroots 
level, he added. 
 
 
HANOI 00000715  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Ambassador challenged these assertions, noting 
that there are believers in Son La who want to be able to 
worship.  They are being blocked and this is wrong and 
against Vietnam's constitution, he said.  We understand that 
some officials block nontraditional religious practices out 
of a misguided sense of protecting ethnic minorities, the 
Ambassador continued, "but this is still wrong.  There is 
room for tradition and religion in Vietnam."  The Ambassador 
also noted that more than a year before, Thuc's counterparts 
in Lao Cai and Lai Chau also said that they had no believers 
under their responsibility, but they now admit that they do 
and the PPC chairmen in those provinces support these 
believers' efforts to register their activities.  In Son La, 
there are at least 3,000 Catholics and 2,000 Protestants. 
"These are not large numbers but they still shouldn't be 
blocked from practicing their faith".  The Ambassador 
promised to provide the People's Committee with details on 
these people, including which areas of the province they 
live in. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Thuc said that it is the PPC's approach not to 
interfere in an individual's right to practice his own 
beliefs.  The provincial leaders have instructed local 
authorities to build a "cultural house" in order to "build a 
civilized life and to maintain cultural identities." 
Communities might even build churches if local officials 
approve, he said.  The Ambassador acknowledged that 
religious freedom is sometimes not an easy issue, but 
reminded Thuc that Vietnam's national law is just that, the 
law of all Vietnam. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶12. (SBU) The difference between the Hoa Binh approach to 
religious freedom and Son La's attitudes was stark.  Hoa 
Binh PPC Chairman Tinh is a model for the kind of leaders we 
would like to see across Vietnam: policy savvy, professional 
and moderate.  We hope that Chairman Thuc's  approach to 
this important social issue is becoming obsolete, though we 
have heard denials of the existence of religion from 
provincial leaders in the recent past.  While it is true 
that Hoa Binh has not faced the generally more difficult 
problem of assimilating Protestants into their society and 
is thus an unfair comparison with Son La, Son La's inability 
to come to terms with even its Catholic residents is 
troubling.  Consistently, provinces such as Son La with high 
concentrations of ethnic minorities have proven the most 
recalcitrant on religious issues, particularly Protestant 
issues.  Lai Chau and Lao Cai demonstrate that attitudes can 
change, though, and Son La will be our next project for a 
turnaround. End Comment. 
 
MARINE