Tags

Vietnam

  • Christian Sentenced for Leading Prayer Meetings

    Nay Y Blang is standing in court.
    Nay Y Blang in court.
    Photo: Radio Free Asia / Cong An Nhan Dan
     

    Nay Y Blang is a member of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ – a religious group that is not officially recognized by the Vietnamese Communist Party. In May 2023, the Christian leader was arrested and charged with taking advantage of "democratic freedom to infringe upon the interests of the state," as well as "the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals." These accusations arose from the prayer meetings he had been holding in his home.

  • Christian Father Beaten by His Son

    A group of believers is gathered outdoors. Most people have their hands raised.
    Believers in Vietnam.
    Photo: VOMC

    In July of this year, Huu Dat (whose name has been changed for security reasons) became a follower of Jesus, leaving behind a tradition of tribal ancestor worship. His wife and four of his six children also chose to follow Christ.

  • Imprisoned Pastor Faces Health Issues

    Nguyen Trung Ton
    Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton[br]Photo: Viet Tan Facebook page

    Vietnamese pastor Nguyen Trung Ton was imprisoned in 2011 on charges of "anti-state propaganda." He was rearrested in 2017 and convicted in April 2018 for "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the government." The Christian leader was sentenced to 12 years in prison. (To review previously published information on the pastor's sentencing, go to this page.)

  • Christian Woman Slain by Husband

    Nga on a bed; a person is sitting beside her.
    Photo: VOM Australia

    After hearing the "Good News" of the Gospel about a month ago from missionaries visiting her local village, Nga, a 42-year-old Vietnamese woman, turned in faith to Christ. She was the first in her village to respond to God's message of salvation, which had been presented to her by the evangelizing Christians. However, unlike Nga, her husband Vu was not open to hearing the missionaries' message.

  • New Restrictions Proposed

    A gathering of Vietnamese believers
    Vietnamese believers
    Photo: VOMC

    According to Christian leaders in Vietnam, new religion-related decrees are set to be introduced in the country which would further restrict religious freedoms. The proposed ordinances are apparently intended to resolve shortcomings in previous guidelines. However, as one Vietnamese analyst explained, "If you start with something which is very bad at its core, any additions to it can only be bad too.... Tinkering with the margins will not change the rotten core."

  • State Officials Interrupt Worship Service

    Two steeples on a church

    Worshippers at a Catholic church in Vu Ban, a rural district in northwestern Vietnam, were shocked when two governing officials rushed into the sanctuary on February 20th, interrupting a Sunday Mass being celebrated by the archbishop from Hanoi. Wearing helmets, the officials shouted loudly before taking the microphone and demanding that everyone disperse immediately, or "appropriate measures" would be taken. One of the officials was identified by witnesses as the head of the local branch of the Communist Party.

  • Christians Ordered to Cease Worship

    Worship service
    Photo: VOMC

    On March 6th, a large mob forced their way into the Mercy Gate Chapel in Amalgama, Sri Lanka, demanding that all religious activities cease immediately. Thankfully, police were able to disperse the crowd without further incident, though Buddhist monks continued to declare that the place of worship was not a legitimate church. (See this page for more details.)

  • COVID-19 Outbreak Leads to Opposition

    Revival Ekklesia Mission Church
    Revival Ekklesia Mission Church
    Photo: Facebook

    For more than 20 years, Phuong Van Tan and Vo Xuan Loan have served at the Revival Ekklesia Mission Church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. However, in recent months, they became the targets of major opposition and a potential criminal investigation after a COVID-19 outbreak was blamed on the church.

  • Church Leadership Assembly Forced to Cancel

    Congress of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) - Photo: Morning Star News www.morningstarnews.org
    Congress of the Evangelical Church of
    Vietnam (South) in 2018.
    Photo: ECVN(S) via Morning Star News

    Vietnam's largest evangelical church group has called off its assembly to elect new leaders after the Vietnamese government denied permission to hold the meeting. The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) announced on November 25th that the gathering scheduled for early February was being postponed. That same day, the government's Bureau of Religious Affairs released a statement urging the ECVN(S) to observe Article 34 of the Law on Belief and Religion in order to hold the assembly.

  • Pastor Released After Four Years in Prison

    Pastor A. Dao - Photo: USCIRF
    Pastor A. Dao
    Photo: USCIRF

    On September 18th, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom announced that Pastor A. Dao had been released from prison after being incarcerated for over four years. This decision came 11 months before his expected release.