On 18 November 2016, Vietnam’s 14th National Assembly passed the nation’s first-ever Law on Belief and Religion, amid concerns that multiple drafts of the Bill did not conform to international standards.
Although the final text has not been published, it is not expected to have altered significantly from previous drafts. However, the inclusion of basic guarantees of the right to freedom of religion or belief was undermined by onerous registration requirements and excessive state interference in the internal affairs of religious organisations.
In a joint statement, over 50 civil society and religious groups have called upon the Vietnamese government to ensure that registration is not a prerequisite for the exercise of freedom of religion or belief.
