At the reception

Joining the Pastor included Pastor Bùi Văn Sản, President of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN) (North) and pastors of the Church’s executive committee.

Vice Chairman Nguyễn Tiến Trọng (R) has exchanges with Pastor Reid Tylan Saunders

Speaking with the guests, Vice Chairman Nguyễn Tiến Trọng informed about religious life and the Party and the State’s policy of respecting and ensuring people's freedom to belief and religion.

He highlighted that Vietnam is a country with a long-standing cultural tradition and a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, with over 27 million followers (accounting for 27% of the country's population), and approximately 95% of the population practicing a belief or religion; religious life in Vietnam has been vibrant, with the organization of major religious events and traditional festivals such as the Buddha's Birthday, Parents’ Day Festival of Buddhism, Christmas and Easter of Christianism, with the participation of religious people, locals, domestic and international visitors.

With the function and responsibility of state administration on belief and religion, the GCRA has provided guidance and created favorable conditions for religious exercise, as well as encourages religious organizations to proactively join in the fields of healthcare, education, and charity-social work, thus contributing to the economic, political, and social development of the country, he added.

The official regretted that the U.S. has put Vietnam on the SWL for the last two consecutive years and expressed hope that the pastors would continue to play a role in promoting the image of Vietnam as a friendly country with rich cultural identity and freedom of religious practice to friends in the U.S. and around the world.

Vice Chairman Nguyễn Tiến Trọng also extended Christmas and New Year greetings to Pastor Reid Tylan Saunders and members of the delegation on the occasion of upcoming Christmas and New Year 2025.

For his part, Pastor Reid Tylan Saunders expressed his delight at his return to Vietnam and thanked the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs for support and favorable conditions for religious activities of the Reid Saunders Association in Vietnam over the past years.

Pastor Reid Tylan Saunders said he would attend in the "Hope Christmas 2024" program organized by the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) on December 14 at Yen So Park in Hanoi.

Hương Huyền