The church in Vietnam now faces more challenges than ever with a new decree made by the Vietnamese government to regulate religion in the country. Decree 95 follows on the heels of regulations instituted by the Vietnamese Law on Belief and Religion.
Decree 95 now allows the Vietnamese government to require churches and other religious groups to submit financial records to the government. This decree also allows for the suspension of religious activities for any unspecified reasons.
The decree reinforces the legal framework set up by the Vietnamese Law on Belief and Religion, which requires churches and other religious groups to alert the government to their operations.
One article by Christianity Today claims that many local churches and religious leaders believe that this decree is an attempt by the Vietnamese government to get the country off of the US Special Watch List.
The Special Watch List is an outcome of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which according to the U.S State Department website is where the “President is required to annually review the status of religious freedom in every country in the world and designate each country the government of which has engaged in or tolerated ‘particularly severe violations of religious freedom.’”
Not only is Vietnam listed on the U.S. Special Watch List, it has also appeared in a 2024 report covering persecuted churches. The report was released by Open Doors, a non-profit ministry that seeks to support the global persecuted church.
In the report, Vietnam placed 35th out of 50 countries where Christians face extreme persecution, with an apparent rise in “violent incidents” against Christians in Vietnam.
Open Doors believes that the future of Christianity is bleak in Vietnam, claiming in the report that “little is likely to change in future for Christians and other religious minorities, revealing the regressive attitude of the respective government agency.”
The future looks especially bleak for the smaller house churches of Vietnam. Christianity Today explains that many house churches that seek registration under the government are rejected, which makes it impossible for them to operate financially or legally, which can at times seem to discourage the growth of Christianity in Vietnam.
The effects of Decree 95 on the Vietnamese church are yet to be seen, but some have hope. One religious leader states in an interview with Morning Star News, “In Vietnam everything is open, everything is negotiable.” Yet the church not only needs hope, but prayer. With persecution on the forefront of the Vietnamese church, it is important to remember to keep the global and persecuted church in our prayers, especially fellow believers in Vietnam.
Photo courtesy of Duc Nguyen on Unsplash