08/26/2022 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) – On Monday, seven embassies in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi issued a joint statement marking the “International Day Commemorating Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.”
The list of embassies, which was comprised of Austria, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States, said in the statement that they “strongly condemn the continuing acts of violence against individuals based on religion or belief, including those belonging to religious minorities.” The statement was circulated on their media sites in both Vietnamese and English.
In April this year, a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom accused the Vietnamese government of religious persecution, especially of independent religious groups and ethnic minorities.
ICC has previously reported on the persecution of Hmong Christians in Vietnam. Most Vietnamese follow traditional animist teachings, and many who convert to Christianity from the traditional faith face rejection and even persecution from their family members and communities.
Additionally, Vietnamese authorities pressure animist relatives of Christian converts to drive Christians from their homes and exile them. The only hope these Christians have of rejoining their communities is if they renounce their new faith.
Please pray for those suffering from religious persecution in Vietnam.
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