Vietnam slams 'unobjective' assessment in US religious freedom report

Vietnam’s policy of religious freedom is enshrined in its constitution and abided by in practice, and the U.S. State Department continues to get its assessment wrong, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Friday.

She told the press that the country spares no effort to refine its legal systems and policies on beliefs and religions, while ensuring that citizens practice these through thousands of festivals and religious activities every year.

Hang was responding to questions about a U.S. State Department’s 2017 report on International Religious Freedom.

While the report does note progress that Vietnam has made in protecting and promoting religious freedom, it "continues to provide assessments that are either wrong or unobjective,” Hang said.

The U.S. report says that while Vietnam’s constitution states that all people have freedom of belief and religion, current laws still allow significant government control over religious practices and includes vague provisions that permit restrictions on religious freedom in the stated interest of national security and social unity.