Attending the event included Deputy Director of Cultural Heritage Department Trần Đình Thành and representative from the Grassroots Culture Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and representatives from the GCRA’s departments.

During the meeting, Director of the Belief and Other Religions Department under the GCRA Trần Thị Minh Thu briefed current practices of beliefs and state administration on beliefs in 2020.

According to incomplete statistics, Vietnam currently has about 45,000 belief establishments. The majority of belief establishments have representatives or management boards.

The representatives and management boards of belief establishments have registered annual activities or additional activities in accordance with the Law on Belief and Religion.

Since the Law on Belief and Religion and Decree 162 took effect, local authorities have implemented tasks relating to the state administration on beliefs including survey of belief establishments and festivals, dissemination of the law to local officials and representatives and management boards of belief establishments. Up to now, 20 provinces and cities have issued the coordination agreement between the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In 2020, the GCRA has paid working visits to provinces and cities of Ho Chi Minh, Nghe An and Hung Yen for checking the implementation of the Law on Belief and Religion. The GCRA has also organized conferences on belief and religion, and the state managements on belief and religion to local cadres tasked with religious affairs at all levels, as well as conferences guiding belief activities in accordance with the law to representatives and management boards of belief establishments and mediums in the North region.

Deputy Director Trần Đình Thành speaks at the event

According to Deputy Director of Cultural Heritage Department Trần Đình Thành, this year, due to Covid-19 pandemic, all festival have been suspended. Some festivals have held worshipping ceremonies internally and strictly implemented regulations of the Ministry of Health and concerning agencies.

He suggested that in 2021, the two sides would strengthen coordination in drafting policies and implementing relating legal documents, as well as trainings on the state management on belief, religion and culture for carders of the both sides.

Vice Chairman Nguyễn Ánh Chức speaks at the meeting

Addressing at the meeting, Vice Chairman Nguyễn Ánh Chức emphasized on responsibilities in solving practically issues relating to beliefs between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In the coming time, the two sides will closely work in drafting legal documents related to beliefs, disseminating the State laws and policies on belief, promoting information exchange on the state management on belief, and the inspection, handling of violations, and settlement of complaints and denunciations related to the management scope of the two ministries, he said.

PH