On March 8, the US Department of State released an annual report on the human rights situation in 196 nations around the world, including Vietnam.

Regarding the comments on human rights in Vietnam, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dzung said the 2005 Human Rights Report made many erroneous and unbiased comments on human rights in Vietnam. It cited unilateral and distorted information that failed to reflect the reality in Vietnam. The country therefore absolutely rejects those wrongful allegations.

However, Mr Dzung said the differences in a country’s political system, level of development, history and culture in contrast to other nations, such as between Vietnam and the US, resulted in different views and approaches towards human rights. It is unacceptable for one country to impose its view and approach on other countries.

It is not clear where the author of the report got information from to publish such untrue allegations that Vietnam continues to pressure, threaten and detain those who express opposite political or religious views in the form of non-violence, and that the Vietnamese Government still bans outspoken critics of the role of the Communist Party and other sensitive issues.

The report was released at a time when Vietnamese people, especially religious activists and followers, are actively contributing their opinions to the draft political reports for submission to the 10^th National Party Congress. People from all walks of life from inside and outside the country are expressing their views and commenting on the issues raised by the draft political reports, which also deals with the role of Party organisations and Party members.

These opinions are widely covered by the mass media and being sent to the Party Central Committee for consideration.

The Vietnamese people are increasingly participating in the governance of society and voicing their will and aspirations in matters relating to major events of the country. So, how could it be said that there is no freedom of the press and speech in Vietnam and that the country bans critics from touching upon sensitive issues?

If there is no religious freedom in Vietnam, why do religious followers often flock to churches and pagodas on the festive days of Buddhism and Catholicism? Why do hundreds of churches, chapels, cathedrals, and pagodas in localities across the country continue to be refurbished or restored every year?

The Vietnamese State always respects and guarantees its citizens’ rights to belief and religious freedom and rights to freedom of non-belief and non-religion. This is clearly stipulated in the Vietnam Constitution and is de facto respected, particularly following the promulgation of the Ordinance on Beliefs and Religions on November 15, 2004. In Vietnam, people are only detained for law-breaking, not for religious reasons.

During a recent working visit to Hanoi, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom from the US Department of State John Hanford spoke highly of Vietnam’s significant progress in religious activities in recent times and promised to report the current religious situation in Vietnam to concerned US agencies so that the US Government will take Vietnam off the list of "countries of particular concern" on religion.

A new story published in the Los Angeles Times on March 6 also gave comments on the development of Catholicism in Vietnam. It is worth noting that Vietnam and the US have resumed dialogues on human rights between the two foreign ministries.

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Barry F. Lowenkron who recently headed the US human rights negotiation delegation to Vietnam said the Vietnamese Government was quite willing to discuss a series of concerns about human rights in a constructive manner and the two sides did not accuse each other. Vietnam continues to affirm that it will not accuse the US of human rights issues.

Vietnam understands and respects the sovereignty of each other with belief that it is impossible for one country to impose its view on other countries. Therefore, Vietnam wants the US to give it a similar treatment and wishes for a continuation of frank and open dialogues on matters of mutual concern. Vietnam hopes that through contact and dialogues, the two sides will obtain greater understanding and bridge the gap in religious and human rights issues, contributing to the promotion of relations in line with the interests of the two countries’ people.

By Pham Thu Hang