VZCZCXRO0276
PP RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #0844/01 2262111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 142111Z AUG 07
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2984
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 2110
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 3188

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000844 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KIRF VM
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS LEADERS NOTE POSITIVE TRENDS, ONGOING ISSUES 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000844  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary.  During his farewell trip to Ho Chi Minh City 
August 5-8, Ambassador Marine had a series of meetings with 
religious leaders, including Catholic Cardinal Pham Minh Man, 
the leaders of the Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam 
(SECV), and leaders of several house church groups, to discuss 
the current state of religious freedom in Vietnam.  Religious 
leaders presented a generally positive picture of conditions for 
their followers, but noted that recognition and registration 
issues remain in some areas where officials were not familiar 
with the new legal framework on religion.  At each meeting, the 
Ambassador affirmed USG support for religious freedom has not 
diminished since Vietnam's removal from the list of Countries of 
Particular Concern (CPC) late last year and noted our continued 
willingness to follow up with the GVN on specific issues 
religious groups are facing as they arise.  End Summary. 
 
CARDINAL MAN ON POLITICS OF RELIGION 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) During their August 7 meeting, Cardinal Man told 
Ambassador Marine conditions for the Catholic Church have been 
generally positive since the new legal framework on religion was 
introduced in 2004, noting the Diocese no longer needed advance 
permission to ordain priests.  The biggest issue their 
seminaries face is finding enough teachers for all the new 
seminarians.  Man said the Church continues to press the GVN for 
return of confiscated properties with little success. 
Ambassador Marine said the return of church properties was an 
ongoing dialogue many religious groups were having with the GVN, 
and while the United States Mission would continue to raise the 
issue on the Church's behalf, resolution was a long-term 
prospect. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Cardinal Man said regional politics were at play in 
the GVN's recent rejection of two candidates for Bishop 
positions, noting he had heard some individuals in both the GVN 
and in northern Dioceses of the Catholic Church did not want to 
see "too many Southerners" in key posts.  On GVN-Vatican 
relations, Man said a formal relationship seemed to be far away 
due to reluctance on both sides to move things forward too 
quickly. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Ambassador raised the issue of President Nguyen 
Minh Triet's interview with CNN during his visit to the United 
States, noting Vietnamese newspapers had quoted Triet as saying 
that the Vietnam Bishops' Council and the Vatican were in 
agreement with the GVN position that the trial of dissident 
priest, Father Nguyen Van Ly, was not a religious matter.  Man 
said he had refuted the President's claim in an article that was 
posted on an overseas Catholic news website, adding that the 
Chairman of Bishops' Council had also written a letter to 
President Triet voicing the Council's disagreement with Triet's 
comments to the press. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Ambassador said that while he was pleased that the 
GVN appears to have accepted a greater role for religious 
organizations in performing charitable and humanitarian work, he 
understood the Church is still having trouble getting Catholic 
NGOs licensed to carry out HIV/AIDS and orphan-related work in 
Ho Chi Minh City.  Man replied that while the Church was 
recently able to purchase land to open a center just outside Ho 
Chi Minh City, its application for NGO status was still pending. 
 In parting, Ambassador Marine renewed Mission Vietnam's offer 
to take up the Church's issues with the GVN if desired and 
encouraged the Catholic Church to engage with the GVN on 
upcoming revisions to the legal framework on religion. 
 
PROTESTANT LEADERS GENERALLY OPTIMISTIC 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) On August 6 and 7, Ambassador Marine paid two separate 
calls on leaders of the Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam 
(SECV) and a group of Protestant house church representatives 
(including branches of the Baptist, Seventh Day Adventists, 
Mennonites, Vietnam Good News Mission, United Gospel Outreach 
Church, and Assembly of God). 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In both meetings, Protestant leaders said that the 
vast majority of their congregations have no difficulty 
practicing their faith.  In places where they have successfully 
registered churches, they experience little or no GVN 
interference with their religious activities.  Churches that 
routinely provided local authorities with detailed information 
about members and meetings also seemed to experience fewer 
issues than those who did not.  House church leaders echoed the 
sentiments of the Catholic Church and said that although 
conditions are generally improving, they have ongoing 
difficulties getting the GVN to return seized properties and 
problems registering new meeting points in areas where local 
officials were not familiar with the new legal framework on 
religion.  Several house church leaders noted that in remote 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000844  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
areas of the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta, local 
authorities sometimes claim no knowledge of the 
recognition/registration process, often refusing to even 
acknowledge receipt of a congregation's application.  In these 
areas, church leaders also reported more incidents of police 
harassment and disbandment of gatherings.  Many leaders also 
commented that tensions with authorities increase in areas where 
there are higher numbers of ethnic minorities. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In contrast to the generally positive picture 
portrayed by most house church pastors, Pastor Nguyen Ngoc Hien 
(aka Pastor Henry) of Vietnam Baptist Fellowship Church (VBFC) 
said he and his followers have been experiencing steady 
interference and harassment from GVN authorities ever since he 
criticized GVN treatment of Protestants during his meeting with 
Secretary Rice in Hanoi last November.  Since then, Pastor Henry 
 
SIPDIS 
said authorities have asked for detailed reports regarding his 
visits with Baptist groups in Cambodia, confiscated his passport 
and have tried to take him to court for his alleged involvement 
in a land rights dispute.  Pastor Henry said his congregations 
have reported being pressured by police to provide detailed 
information on members and their financial holdings. 
Congregations that resist have had their meetings broken up and 
Bibles confiscated.  Pastor Henry said he has reported specific 
incidents to the Public Security Bureau, but has received no 
resolution.  Ambassador Marine expressed his sympathy and 
assured Pastor Henry that the United States Mission would raise 
his case with GVN once he provides detailed documentation of the 
incidents of harassment. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Ambassador expressed his appreciation for the 
leaders' frank and honest feedback and said the United States 
Mission would be happy to raise specific issues and incidents 
with the central and provincial GVN authorities if the churches 
so desired.  He asked that churches provide detailed information 
to us for follow up.  The Ambassador also encouraged Protestant 
leaders to develop a regular dialogue on the religious 
recognition/registration process with the GVN, perhaps through 
quarterly correspondence or meetings with GVN's Committees on 
Religious Activities, both on the national and provincial levels. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi and 
cleared by Ambassador Marine. 
FAIRFAX