Dung referred to the US committee’s recent vote that calls on the US State Department to return Vietnam to the list of CPC regarding religion, in reply to queries over Vietnam’s reaction that were raised by journalists on May 25.

He said that the decision runs counter to the real situation in Vietnam and fails to mirror the development of friendly relations between Vietnam and the US.

“In Vietnam, the right to freedom of belief and religion are clearly stated in the Constitution and exercised in reality. Religious groups in Vietnam have received State support and conditions for development. Vietnamese law strictly prohibits any discrimination against its citizens for belief or religious reasons. No one has been arrested or detained under house arrest for religious reasons. Only those who break the law are punished in line with Vietnamese law,” emphasised the spokesman.
He voiced Vietnam’s position of solving different viewpoints through frank and constructive dialogue on the principle of mutual understanding and respect for one another.

“In that spirit, we always welcome members of the US Congress to Vietnam so they can understand the country better. We also call on the US Congress not to pass this adjustment,” Dung concluded.