The meeting was co-chaired by Chairman of the GCRA Vũ Chiến Thắng and Deputy Minister of Home Affairs cum Chairman of the SCOV Đặng Minh Khôi.

As reported at the event, there are currently over five million overseas Vietnamese residing, working or studying in 130 countries and territories. Most of them have been retaining Vietnamese cultural traditions and identities, including the ancestral worshipping, and as many as two million of them are followers of Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Caodaism. Etc.

For the past year, the GCRA have sent delegations to meet with overseas Vietnamese communities of religious Vietnamese for understanding the religious life and current practices of religions by Vietnamese groups in foreign countries, and asked the concerning authorities in the host countries to create favorable conditions for religious practices of overseas Vietnamese. The government religious committee has proactively coordinated with concerning ministries in inviting Vietnamese religious dignitaries overseas to attend national events in the home country, such as the Hung Kings Festival, UN Vesak celebration and national meetings on occasion of the traditional New Year.

During the meeting, the GCRA also informed the current religious life of communities of overseas Vietnamese in foreign countries, as well as put forward recommends suiting the practice of each religion by overseas Vietnamese.

Chairman of the committee for overseas Vietnamese Đặng Minh Khôi shared with the host difficulties that face the overseas Vietnamese, including those relating religion, such as language barriers, shortages of religious worshipping places and guiding dignitaries, lack of understanding of laws and regulations in host countries, etc.

 Chairman of the committee for overseas Vietnamese Đặng Minh Khôi speaks at the meeting

During the exchanges, Chairman Đặng Minh Khôi recommended to develop a coordination guideline between the government religious committee and the state committee for overseas Vietnamese for in the overseas Vietnamese affairs with regard to religion. He also asked the GCRA to create more favorable conditions for religious dignitaries of Vietnamese overseas to attend religion events in the home country, as well as help sending religious dignitaries to Vietnamese communities abroad for guiding religious practices by Vietnamese in the foreign countries.

 Chairman Vũ Chiến Thắng speaks at the meeting

Concluding the exchange meeting, leaders of the government religious committee and the state committee for overseas Vietnamese agreed to develop a coordination guideline between the two agencies, closely work for assisting the legal registrations for religious practices by overseas Vietnamese in foreign countries, and strengthening of the communication work in Vietnamese communities abroad, especially in the field of religion.

PTT