VZCZCXRO9097
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH
DE RUEHHM #0917/01 2800946
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 060946Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5001
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 3356
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 5230

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000917 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF PHUM VM
SUBJECT: PRESBYTERIANS CELEBRATE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY SINCE 
RECOGNITION 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000917  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On September 19, the Vietnam Presbyterian 
Church celebrated its first General Assembly since it received 
national recognition in 2007.  Deputy Director of the National 
Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) Nguyen Thanh Xuan welcomed 
the Consul General and other foreign officials to the simple but 
recently repaired Binh Chanh Presbyterian Church in Ho Chi Minh 
City, where he spoke candidly about both the progress and the 
challenges the CRA has faced in understanding and responding to 
the diverse community of Protestant groups in Vietnam.  Visiting 
American Presbyterian leaders also reported successful visits to 
the Central and Northwest Highlands, with only one minor run-in 
with local authorities that was quickly cleared up with a phone 
call to the CRA in Hanoi.  While acknowledging stiff competition 
for hearts and minds from other Protestant groups, the 
Presbyterians are optimistic they can continue to expand from 80 
to 300 congregations over the next three years.  End Summary. 
 
CRA Admits With Growth Comes Challenges 
--------------------------------------- 
¶2. (U) The Consul General joined in the celebration of the 
Presbyterian Church of Vietnam's first General Assembly on 
September 19, held eleven months after the denomination received 
national recognition in October 2007. The colorful ceremony 
included performances by ethnic multiple minority groups and was 
attended by GVN officials and foreign dignitaries.  Nguyen Thanh 
Xuan, the Deputy Director of the National Committee for 
Religious Affairs (CRA) welcomed guests to Binh Chanh 
Presbyterian Church and noted the significant contributions the 
Presbyterians have made to the local community.  The church 
itself is simple structure with plan brick walls and a tin roof 
but was recently restored and remains in very good repair. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Xuan was refreshingly candid in his discussion of the 
GVN's struggle to understand the diversity and complexity of the 
many Protestant denominations present in Vietnam today.  Because 
Protestant denominations differ greatly in their traditions, 
practices and organizational structure, Xuan admitted they 
present quite a challenge to officials who are used to dealing 
with the more centralized Buddhist and Catholic religions.  As a 
result, it has taken the GVN a long time to understand that "one 
size does not fit all" in terms of handling registration and 
recognition of Baptists, Mennonites, and other Protestant 
denominations.  Xuan said the CRA has expanded their dialogue 
and understanding through the registration/recognition process 
for a number of Protestant groups since 2005, including 
Baptists, Mennonites, United World Mission, and the Vietnam 
Inter-Christian Fellowship. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Xuan acknowledged the challenges of working in the 
Central and Northwest Highlands, where, like many other 
Protestant faiths, Presbyterianism has grown rapidly among 
ethnic minority groups. Xuan said while the 100 Presbyterian 
congregations now registered in the Northwest represents "a 
humble number," it reflects the efforts authorities have made to 
"reconcile differences and maintain social order" in an area 
where "conflicts between the Protestant culture and the 
traditional culture" have been difficult to settle. During his 
time as a scholar of religion, Xuan said he observed how South 
Korean Protestants combined elements of traditional Korean 
culture into their faith, and expressed his hope that 
Protestants in Vietnam would create a similar blend of 
Vietnamese culture and Protestantism in the future. He ended 
with a quote from Ephesians 4:2-3 asking all followers to 
"preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 
 
Visiting Pastors Travel to NW and Central Highlands 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
¶5. (SBU) On October 1, Poloff met with three American 
Presbyterian leaders who visited Presbyterian congregations in 
the Central and Northwest Highlands in addition to attending the 
General Assembly. The delegation said they were warmly received 
by ethnic minority congregations in Lao Cai and Kontum, adding 
that they witnessed a great deal of "pent-up demand" for 
religion. During the trip, the group reported difficulties in 
only one Lao Cai commune where they said local authorities 
followed them by motorbike and attempted to halt their visit to 
a chapel near the Chinese border. Pastor Bao Xuan Nguyen said 
they called the CRA in Hanoi on the spot, and local police 
quickly backed down after receiving word from their superiors to 
allow the visit to continue. 
 
¶6. (U) Vietnam Presbyterian Church leader Rev. Nguyen Ba Nha 
said that since 1975 the church has survived many "tests of 
faith" and looks forward to a time of peaceful development, but 
noted that competition among Protestant groups is drawing some 
Presbyterians to other denominations.  Nevertheless, he has big 
plans for the future, and hopes to expand from approximately 80 
congregations to 300 over the next three years.  He and other 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000917  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Presbyterian leaders met with the HCMC People's Committee 
recently to request land to build a new headquarters here and 
hope to begin discussing the establishment of international 
churches in Vietnam's major cities in the near future. 
 
¶7. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi. 
FAIRFAX