White book on local religions and religious policies launched
VOV.VN - The Government Committee for Religious Affairs released a white book on religions and religious policies in the nation at a conference held on March 9 in Hanoi by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications.
A 132-page book consists of three chapters that provide introductions to basic information about local religions, its religious policies, as well as various achievements, challenges, and advantages in ensuring the right to freedom of both belief and religion.
The book features a total of 16 popular religions in the country, including Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Caodaism, and Hoa Hao Buddhism, among others.
It also presents the Communist Party of Vietnam's view on belief systems and religion during the renewal period, the right to freedom of belief and religion as stipulated in the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, along with regulations on religious activities in current legal documents.
Published by the Religious Publishing House, the book features an appendix with some images of religions and religious activities in the country. This is along with statistics on religions, a list of religious organisations and registered religious activities, along with Article 24 of the 2013 Constitution.
Nguyen Tien Trong, deputy head of the committee, said Vietnam has a long-standing cultural tradition and is home to 54 ethnic groups with
diverse religions. At present, the country is home to over 26.5 million religious followers, or 27% of the total population, in addition to over 54,000 religious dignitaries and 29,658 places of worship.
The first Constitution set out in 1946 and its revised editions have always affirmed the right to freedom of belief and religion as one of the fundamental rights of human beings. The 2013 Constitution specifies that the right to freedom of belief and religion is a right of all people, he said.
In order to realise the 2013 Constitution, the Vietnamese National Assembly passed the Law on Belief and Religion on November 18, 2016. The Vietnamese Government issued Decree No. 162/2017/ND-CP on December 30, 2017, detailing some articles and measures aimed at enforcing the Law on Belief and Religion.
Vietnam has so far recognized 36 religious organisations, as well as issuing registration certificates to four religious organisations and one religious sect of 16 religions.