The Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) in collaboration with the Lao Front for National Construction Central Committee held on December 21 a meeting to share experiences in religious affairs between Vietnam and Lao border localities in Thua Thien Hue province.

The representative committee of the Islamic community in Ninh Thuan province in collaboration with the Humanitarian Care Malaysia Berhad (MyCARE) held from December 7-8 a workshop on Arabic teaching methods and skills in the province.

Chairman of the municipal Committee for Religious Affairs Ngô Khôi hosted on December 10 a reception for a visiting delegation led by Consul General of the United States Pamela Pontius from Ho Chi Minh city.

Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee in Binh Duong Đặng Minh Hưng hosted on November 26 a reception for a visiting delegation led by Secretary of the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion Khenh Hang Huon.

Built on successes of previous Christmas concerts, Goethe Institute will hold on December 12 a charitable concert for supporting disadvantaged people at Cua Bac church in Hanoi.

Vietnam has implemented 175 out of the 182 recommendations by the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) second-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which it accepted in June 2014, heard a seminar in Hanoi on December 3.

An opening ceremony for a winter meditation course was held on December 1 at Phuoc Son Monastery in Dong Nai province’ Bien Hoa city.

A delegation led by Most Venerable Yoshimizu Daichi, former Chairman of the Japanese Pure-Land Buddhist Church, visited the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Southern Office in Ho Chi Minh City on November 28.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huỳnh Đức Thơ hosted on November 26 a reception for visiting Archbishop Marek Zalewski - Special Envoy of Vatican to Viet Nam.

According to the Vatican Press Office on November 17, Pope Francis has received a letter of resignation from Cardinal Peter Nguyễn Văn Nhơn, Former Archbishop of Hanoi Archdiocese, and named Bishop of Hai Phong diocese Joseph Vũ Văn Thiên as New Archbishop of Hanoi Archdiocese.

The Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Japan has so far served as a spiritual support for Vietnamese studying, working and living in Japan.

The first Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Buddhist Leaders’ Conference was held in the Lao capital city of Vientiane on November 12, aiming to promote the development of Buddhism in the countries as well as regional exchange in the religion. 

The coordinating board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in Laos made its debut during a ceremony held at Phat Tich pagoda in Vientiane on November 11.

The 2018 Asia-Pacific Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Conference opened in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on November 6, under the theme of “ICH NGOs towards the Sustainable Development of Communities”.

Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình on October 20 had meetings with Pope Francis and Secretary of State of the Vatican City Cardinal Pietro Parolin on October 20 during his working trip to the city state.