Vietnamese authorities prevented all Vietnamese invitees from travelling to the United States (US) to attend the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit which is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. from 4-5 February.
On 26 January authorities at Ho Chi Minh’s Tan Son Nhat international airport briefly detained a Buddhist monk, the Venerable Thich Nhat Phuoc, on the grounds of ‘national defence and security’. Officers cited Article 36 of the 2019 Law on Exit and Entry and issued Venerable Phuoc with a temporary travel ban.
Venerable Phuoc, whose real name is Nguyen Thanh Cuong, is affiliated with the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam. The Sangha is not registered with the government, as is required under Vietnamese law.
Venerable Phuoc previously served as the abbot (most senior monk) of Son Linh Pagoda in Kon Tum province. In November 2022 local government actors demolished the pagoda, arguing it was illegally built on land designated for agricultural purposes. After the demolition, the government also prevented efforts to restore the pagoda, forcing Venerable Phuoc to practice at Thien Quang Pagoda in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, 700 kilometres away.
On 28 January two Cao Dai dignitaries, Nguyen Xuan Mai and Nguyen Ngoc Dien, were also prevented from leaving the country at Tan Son Nhat international airport. Local authorities again cited the same national security concerns while issuing temporary travel bans.
Cao Dai is a monotheistic religion drawing from Vietnamese traditional folk religion, the teachings of the Buddha and other historical religious figures like Jesus Christ. Cao Dai followers are mostly found in Vietnam and in the Vietnamese diaspora. The Cao Dai are not recognised by the Vietnamese government, despite originating in Vietnam in the early 1920s.
The co-chair of the IRF Summit Sam Brownback said: ‘This will not go unnoticed by the US government. Vietnam is already on thin ice concerning its treatment of religious people. This may be all it takes to put them back as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). We call on the Vietnamese government to let these individuals travel to the International Religious Freedom Summit or we will highlight at the IRF Summit this action by Vietnam.’
IRF Summit co-organiser and President of the Vietnamese-American human rights organisation Boat People SOS Dr Thang Nguyen said: ‘The Vietnamese government has blocked all three victim-witnesses of religious persecution from joining the IRF Summit, which highlights the repressive environment faced by non-state-sanctioned religions and religious communities as they practice their faith. We will make sure that the international community takes appropriate actions in response.’
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas, who is at the summit in Washington, D.C., said: ‘The Vietnamese government is trying to silence witnesses who would bravely testify about the violations of freedom of religion or belief they face in Vietnam. This is a futile attempt to try and airbrush Vietnam’s reputation at this international conference on FoRB. We are not fooled – these arrests only highlight the paranoia of the ruling communist party and the desperate lengths they will go to silence and supress those that speak out against them. The attendees’ absence only amplifies attention on the abuses taking place against religious groups. The Vietnamese government must be held to account and to the highest standards as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.’
Note to Editors:
- The annual IRF Summit brings together around 1000 global leaders from government, civil society and various religion or belief groups to support freedom of religion or belief globally. The organisation is co-led by Sam Brownback, former Governor of Kansas and former US Ambassador at large for Religious Freedom, and Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).