VZCZCXRO7586
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH
DE RUEHHM #1035/01 2550208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120208Z SEP 06
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1442
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 1016
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 1511

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF PINR VM
SUBJECT: VISIT OF AMBASSADOR HANFORD TO HCMC: OFFICIAL MEETINGS 
 
REF: HANOI 1666 
 
HO CHI MIN 00001035  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Ambassador-at-Large for International 
Religious Freedom John Hanford told GVN officials during a 
August 14-16 visit that he welcomed the progress that Vietnam 
has made on religious freedom over the past two years.  However, 
additional progress was needed, especially in the Northwest 
Highlands.  Chairman of the National Committee for Religious 
Affairs -- also visiting HCMC -- acknowledged that progress in 
Northwest Highlands has been slow, but affirmed that the GVN is 
working to facilitate church registration there.  The Chairman 
said that Vietnam would continue to implement the legal 
framework on religion -- its own laws -- irrespective of CPC. 
That said, Vietnam desired lifting of CPC.  The Chairman 
welcomed Ambassador Hanford's suggestion of a "roadmap" that 
would delineate further progress on religious freedom in Vietnam 
as a mechanism to secure CPC lifting.  HCMC government officials 
pledged to make further progress on religious freedom, but did 
not make any specific commitments on the issues that Ambassador 
Hanford raised, including property restitution and official NGO 
designation for the HCMC Catholic Archdiocese's HIV/AIDS 
program.  Septel covers Ambassador Hanford's meetings with 
Protestant church leaders.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) During a visit to HCMC August 14 to 16, Ambassador John 
Hanford, accompanied by DRL/IRF advisor Clarissa Adamson, met 
with GVN, HCMC and Protestant Church leaders to review progress 
on religious freedom issues.  In a lunch discussion, Ambassador 
Hanford told the National Chairman of the Committee for 
Religious Affairs (CRA) Ngo Yen Thi and Protestant affairs 
specialist Nguyen Van Thong, that "Vietnam was an unfolding good 
news story."  The substantial progress made over the past two 
years was a result of the hard work of Thi and his CRA 
colleagues.  However, significant concerns remain.  These 
concerns have an impact on the Congressional debate over 
extending Vietnam Permanent Normal Trading Relations (PNTR). 
Ambassador Hanford told Chairman Thi that the objective of his 
visit is to find a way forward on Vietnam's Country of 
Particular Concern (CPC) status.  This requires Vietnam to show 
progress on remaining areas of concern, including: registration 
of churches in the North West and Central Highlands belong to 
the Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) and the Southern 
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV).  The USG also is looking 
for registration of unofficial house church organizations such 
as the Mormons, United World Mission Church (UNWC) and Baptist 
groups. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Responding to Ambassador Hanford's question on the slow 
pace of church registration in the NW Highlands, especially 
compared to the Central Highlands, Chairman Thi observed that it 
took Hanoi two years to achieve current gains in the Central 
Highlands.  Although Hanoi is applying the "lessons learned" 
form the Central Highlands, the situation in the Northwest is 
perhaps even more difficult.  Protestantism is a new phenomenon 
in the Northwest.  Thi acknowledged that Hanoi has been slow to 
train local officials in the NW on Protestantism and their 
obligations under the legal framework on religion.  The spread 
of Protestantism in the Northwest has caused significant 
friction within some ethnic minority communities as some ethnic 
village leaders see the religion as a threat to traditional 
beliefs.  Local governments need to ensure that church 
registrations do not undermine "community harmony."  Another 
complicating factor is that the ECVN is far less organized than 
the SECV and does not have trained pastors to lead communities. 
CRA Specialist Thong also took strong issue with ECVN claims 
that it has over 700 congregations in the NW Highlands, saying 
that the number is far smaller and that some congregations are 
affiliated with other Protestant (house church) groups. 
 
¶4. (SBU) To deal with these challenges, the CRA has been working 
with provincial governments in the NW Highlands on a series of 
"pilot registrations."  Thi said that Lai Chau province has 
registered two ECVN congregations, Lau Cai four.  (Comment: 
Embassy Hanoi has not yet confirmed these claims.  End Comment.) 
 Another five registrations are "in progress" in Thai Nguyen, 
"five or six" in Bac Can, and four in Yen Bai.  Once local 
officials are more confident with the process and with their 
ECVN counterparts, the CRA can accelerate registrations. 
Meanwhile, in the Central Highlands, in addition to continuing 
the process of registration of SECV congregations, the CRA is 
working to introduce ethnic minority-language bibles in the 
three major ethnic languages (Bahnar, Ede, Jarai). 
Registrations for some house churches (Mormons, UWMC), two small 
Buddhist sects and the Baha'i are pending; other registrations 
will be considered once these registrations are concluded.  The 
GVN also will continue "to consider" property restitution claims 
from the ECVN and the SECV.  Thi also said that he has "solved" 
the problem of local officials rejecting petitions for national 
identity documents if the applicant declares that he is a 
Protestant.  The Chairman asserted that he has instructed police 
in Thanh Hoa province to apologize to the house church preacher 
who was assaulted a few weeks ago and to reprimand officials 
 
HO CHI MIN 00001035  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
responsible.  (See reftel for additional reporting on the Thanh 
Hoa incident.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Chairman Thi noted that Vietnam will comply with its 
own laws -- and thus continue the process of church 
registrations -- irrespective of the status of CPC.  However, 
Thi hoped that CPC could be lifted soon.  He welcomed Ambassador 
Hanford's idea of a "roadmap" that would cover additional GVN 
progress on religious freedom as part of a CPC-lifting strategy. 
 Thi welcomed Ambassador Hanford's upcoming meetings with senior 
GVN officials including the Vice Minister of Public Security. 
Thi requested the Ambassador to assist him by pressing GVN 
interlocutors to instruct local governments to implement the 
legal framework on religion more aggressively.  Chairman Thi 
also welcomed Ambassador Hanford's suggestion to bring CRA 
officials from key provinces to the U.S. on an exchange program 
on religious affairs. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Chairman Thi noted that the GVN had resolved 
outstanding issues related to a Catholic church request to open 
a new seminary in Dong Nai province near HCMC.  On August 21, 
officials from the Xuan Loc Bishop's Office confirmed that the 
diocese will open a seminary there, as a branch of the HCMC 
Seminary.  This year's intake will be 68 students from the 
diocese.  In 2007 the church plans to take additional students 
from three other dioceses: Ba Ria Vung Tau, Lam Dong and Phan 
Thiet. Groundbreaking for a new seminary building will take 
place on August 26. 
 
¶7. (SBU) In a separate meeting with HCMC People's Committee Vice 
Chairman Nguyen Thanh Tai, the Ambassador lauded the HCMC 
government's recent decision to approve the opening of a new 
seminary for the SECV.  He thanked the HCMC government for its 
leadership role in house church registrations.  The Ambassador 
noted that the USG expects that this process will continue with 
the registration of additional HCMC-based house church 
denominations and the resolution of outstanding SECV property 
claims, especially that of its former headquarters and another 
key property.  The Ambassador also encouraged the HCMC 
government to support efforts of the Catholic Archdiocese to 
secure GVN recognition of its "Pastoral Care" HIV/AIDS program 
as an official Vietnamese NGO. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Vice-Chairman Tai told the Ambassador that the HCMC 
government is working with provincial CRA officials to 
strengthen grassroots implementation of the legal framework on 
religion.  Even in HCMC, local understanding of Hanoi's "clear 
policy" is not yet adequate.  Tai said that he allocated 
recently substantial funds to district-level governments to 
facilitate the process of local registration of house churches. 
While supportive of Archdiocese efforts on HIV/AIDS, Tai made no 
commitment on its request for NGO designation.  Tai said that he 
would work with the SECV on property restitution issue and would 
"study" their request for the return of two downtown HCMC 
properties. 
 
¶9. (U) This message was cleared by Ambassador Hanford. 
WINNICK