VZCZCXRO6179
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH
DE RUEHHM #0134/01 0311410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311410Z JAN 08
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3668
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 2469
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 3888

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 000134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/IRF, AND DRL/AWH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KIRF VT VM
SUBJECT: TENS OF THOUSANDS ATTEND RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY EVENTS THROUGHOUT 
SOUTHERN VIETNAM 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000134  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SUBJECT: Tens of Thousands Attend Religious Holiday Events 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. (SBU) 2007 Christmas celebrations held by Protestant and 
Catholic congregations throughout Southern Vietnam were an 
exuberant affirmation of Vietnam's progress on religious freedom 
in recent years. While some celebrations were a first, like the 
soccer stadium rally of fifteen Protestant house church groups 
that drew crowds of 8,000 to 13,000 people, others were a 
continuation of long-held Christmas traditions, like the 
thousands of Catholics who gathered for Midnight Mass at Notre 
Dame Cathedral on Christmas Eve. Protestant leaders reported the 
majority of their congregations in the South celebrated 
Christmas freely, including the Central Highlands. Even some 
dissident Catholic priests reported an incident-free Christmas 
this year. The few congregations who reported problems were 
located in areas where Christianity is a relatively new concept 
and/or where local officials still perceive the spread of 
Christianity as a possible threat to public order. In some 
cases, church leaders held firm and convinced local authorities 
to allow celebrations to take place. Many religious leaders 
credited their expanding dialogue with GVN over recent years as 
a factor in their eventual success.  Unsurprisingly, problems 
with religious freedom tend to be more prevalent in places where 
poor leadership,corruption and poverty persist. End summary. 
 
Thousands Join in Christmas Celebrations Across South 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶2. (SBU) For the first time, approximately 13,000 Protestant 
followers and their friends (representing around fifteen 
different denominations) gathered to attend four hour-long 
Evangelical Christmas celebrations at a soccer stadium behind 
the former Presidential Palace in the heart Ho Chi Minh City 
during the week before Christmas. The event featured group 
prayers, hymns and the conversion of over 1500 new followers. 
The event was organized by the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship 
(VEF), an umbrella group that represents over 50 Protestant 
house church denominations. Event organizers said local 
authorities authorized the event two days in advance and allowed 
the VEF to post fifteen large advertisements and hand out 
Evangelical pamphlets and flyers to attendees. Performers ranged 
from a 64-voice choir to a popular local television singer who 
became a Baptist a year ago sang songs praising Jesus onstage. 
Audience members sang along as they viewed the performance from 
two large TV screens. The VEF leadership said representatives 
from the HCMC Committee for Religious Affairs and the police 
also attended the event. 
 
¶3. (SBU) A wide variety of other Protestant groups from across 
Central and Southern Vietnam also said they held special 
Christmas services ranging from 50 to 2,000 participants. 
Leaders of the Methodist Church, Good News Mission, United 
Gospel Outreach Church, Vietnam Baptist Convention, United 
Baptist Church, Assembly of God and one of the two 
Inter-Evangelical Movement branches also told ConGen officers 
holding Christmas celebrations "was easier this year." Pastor 
Henry Nguyen Ngoc Hien from the Vietnam Baptist Convention (VBC) 
believes the National Committee for Religious Affairs explicitly 
instructed regional authorities to help facilitate Christmas 
celebrations for all Christian groups.  Religious groups said 
they were only required to give prior notification of their 
plans and to adhere to fire safety standards. While not all of 
the congregations actually notified the authorities, those that 
did were given approval for their events quickly and 
efficiently. Those that didn't pre-notify reported they were 
still able to hold their events successfully. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Pastor Pham Toan Ai from the United Baptist Church said 
his congregations organized 92 celebrations that went "very 
smoothly." Pastor Henry from VBC said all 100 of his 
congregations held "successful Christmas celebrations." Pastor 
Steven Doan Trung Tin from the Vietnam Good News Mission (VGNM) 
told us he had not heard of any problems for his 92 
congregations during Christmas. VGNM Evangelist Mai Hong Sanh 
from Ea H'leo district of the Central Highlands province of Dak 
Lak also reported "great celebrations that lasted for 3 days." 
(Note: For the past two years, this congregation has reported 
pressure from local authorities trying to convince their 
followers to join the GVN-recognized SECV congregation. The US 
Committee on International Religious Freedom also visited this 
congregation and talked with Mai Hong Sanh in Oct 2007.  End 
note.) 
 
For Some Groups, Christmas Crowds Routine 
----------------------------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) Churches with national-level registration like the 
Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) and United World 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000134  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Mission (UWM) reported a "very good round" of Christmas 
celebrations for their congregations. The SECV in HCMC held a 
two-day rally downtown for the third consecutive year, drawing 
crowds of up to 10,000 followers each night.  SECV leaders 
across the Central Highlands provinces reported hundreds of 
celebrations with no negative incidents. In the Mekong Delta 
province of Tra Vinh, where one SECV church in a small commune 
has recently experienced hostilities from the majority Khmer 
community, Christmas celebrations were moved to another, less 
volatile area and held successfully. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Catholic Church held its annual Christmas Masses 
throughout ConGen's consular district and around one million 
people poured into HCMC to see the Christmas lights and attend 
Midnight Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral on Christmas eve. In 
addition to the local observances, the international choir of 
HCMC held its first Christmas performance in a church since 
¶1974. This ground-breaking event started with a predominantly 
foreign audience but more and more Vietnamese filtered into the 
church as the performance went on. One church official 
speculated that perhaps the Vietnamese had initially stayed away 
to see if the police would allow the religious carols to proceed 
and then joined the audience once they were sure the coast was 
clear. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Dissident Catholic priests Chan Tin and Nguyen Huu 
Giai, ardent democracy activists and friends of imprisoned 
Catholic priest Father Ly, said they were able to participate 
freely in Christmas services this year.  Highlighting the 
long-standing issue of GVN-confiscated properties, Cardinal Pham 
Minh Man sent a message to all parishes asking followers to pray 
for the return of a HCMC church property. Father Chan Tin 
preached to a crowd of 3,000--including HCMC People's Committee 
Vice Chairman Nguyen Thanh Tai--and called on the government to 
keep its promise to compensate for Church land cut in half by a 
development project. In Hue, Father Giai held Mass at his church 
while fellow dissident priest Phan Van Loi held Mass at home. 
(Note: Father Giai and Father Loi also met with the USCIRF 
delegation in October 2007 at Father Loi's home.  In April 2007, 
former Deputy Consul General Ken Chern was stopped from visiting 
both priests by local police.  End note.) 
 
Problems in Binh Phuoc 
---------------------- 
¶8. (SBU) Leaders of some Protestant groups reported harassment 
in some provinces, the worst being in the border province of 
Binh Phuoc. Local authorities attempted to intimidate followers 
from attending Christmas celebrations held by the 
Inter-Evangelistic Movement (IEM) and the United Gospel Outreach 
Church (UGOC), two groups that do not yet have national-level 
registration. HCMC-based UGOC leader Pastor Daniel Pham Dinh 
Nhan said local authorities prevented "outsiders" from joining 
the celebrations at his congregation of about 600 followers in 
Thanh An commune, Binh Long district, Binh Phuoc. Pastor 
Daniel's call to the Ministry of Public Security and provincial 
religious officials helped secure permission for him to attend 
the Christmas service, but it did not stop the authorities from 
cutting the electricity supply to the meeting point during the 
event.  After turning the power back on, followers had to guard 
an electrical post in the neighborhood to make sure there were 
no more blackouts. In Chon Thanh district, authorities refused 
to give approval for one Methodist group to hold Christmas 
festivities at all. In Dong Phu district, local authorities 
stopped a Presbyterian group's services and told the head pastor 
not to hold gatherings.  A HCMC-based Presbyterian preacher was 
also given a warning after preaching in Binh Phouc during the 
holidays. 
 
Persistence Pays Off in the End 
------------------------------- 
¶9. (SBU) In some cases, intervention from higher authorities 
responding to protests from religious leaders brought about 
positive results. Despite intimidation by local authorities in 
Binh Phuoc, IEM leaders repeatedly pressed for their right to 
celebrate Christmas until "government officials finally gave 
in." In fact, IEM Pastor Le Minh Duc said authorities ended up 
sending a provincial TV crew to cover their rally of about 700 
followers. Methodist leader Pastor Lam Huu Duc said local 
officials in the Tien Phuoc district of Quang Nam province 
initially denied permission for a meeting point of fifty 
followers to hold Christmas services, but when Pastor Duc called 
the District Committee for Religious Affairs Chief, he 
personally authorized and attended the celebration. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶10. (SBU) Unprecedented public rallies of Protestant groups in 
HCMC and widespread Christmas celebrations throughout the South 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000134  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
were undeniable evidence of the progress being made on religious 
freedom in Vietnam today. Post credits the ease with which 
Christmas services were held this year with the expanding 
dialogue between religious groups and the GVN. While some 
problems were reported, the fact that pastors felt confident and 
comfortable enough to raise their cases with higher authorities 
meant many issues were resolved on the spot. 
 
¶12. (SBU) While Christmas services have become fairly routine 
for many of the larger and more established groups such as the 
Catholics and the SECV, the chance of problems occurring goes up 
for smaller and unregistered religious groups.  Many Protestant 
groups who reported harassment by local authorities are 
currently trying to establish footholds in areas where 
Christianity is still a relatively new concept and not 
well-understood or received by the locals. Officials' attempts 
to ban "outsiders" from attending celebrations also reflect a 
tendency by at least some in the GVN to keep Protestantism from 
spreading outside existing, well-established congregations. 
 
¶13. (SBU) This year's "problem province" of Binh Phuoc 
highlights another important factor related to the issue of 
religious freedom. By all measurements, Binh Phuoc is an 
underperformer. Foreign investment is scarce, most likely 
because officials there have been criticized for corruption and 
confiscation of properties from ethnic minorities and the 
majority Kinh population alike.  As a result, Binh Phuoc's 
provincial economic competitiveness ranking was the lowest among 
the Southern Focal Economic Zone provinces in 2006 and 2007. In 
our discussions with pastors around the consular district, it is 
overwhelmingly the case that religious freedom problems are more 
prevalent in areas where corruption, poverty, and poor 
provincial leadership persist. 
FAIRFAX