WASHINGTON - International Christian Concern has published a new report documenting the persecution of Christians under Vietnam’s communist regime, detailing how the government uses fabricated criminal charges to silence believers and forces noncompliant churches underground.
The report, titled “Freedom of Worship: A False Reality in Vietnam,” examines how the Communist Party of Vietnam tightly monitors and regulates religious expression across the country. ICC found that churches that defy the regime’s regulations are driven underground, with the party apparatus wielding vague or fabricated criminal charges as tools of suppression.
Montagnard Christians, an ethnic minority group in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, face particular targeting by the communist regime for sharing their faith under a government ICC describes as “threatened by the gospel.” The Montagnard communities have long been subject to state harassment and restrictions on worship.
Vietnam has been designated a “country of particular concern” by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in prior years, and the communist regime’s treatment of religious minorities remains a point of friction in U.S.-Vietnam relations. The Communist Party of Vietnam maintains a registration system for religious organizations that effectively gives the state veto power over congregational life, a mechanism common to communist and authoritarian governments across Southeast Asia.
The ICC report also traces the history of the church in Vietnam, noting that despite sustained repression, Christian communities continue to grow. The full report is available through ICC’s website.