The Ministry for Home Affairs in collaboration with the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission held on Jun 3 an online conference on the management and use of religious and belief land.
The online event was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng and Chairman of Central Economic Commission Trần Tuấn Anh, and attended by Vice Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) Nguyễn Ánh Chức and representatives from the Ministry for Resource and Environment.
GCRA Vice Chairman Nguyễn Ánh Chức speaks at the event
During the online conference, participants highly appreciated the GCRA’s report which has reflected existing problems of land used in the field of religion, as well as inadequacies in religious land management.
As reported at the conference, as of November 2020, religious organizations in Vietnam currently has 29,801 religious establishments, an increase of 5,801 facilities compared to 2008. These establishments include worshipping places, training institutions, auxiliary facilities, and charity establishments of religious organizations, with many establishments have not been granted the certificate of land using.
Existing policies and laws on land related to religion including Directive No. 1940, 2008 of the Prime Minister and the Land Law 2013, and the actual usage of land by religions have remained many discrepancies.
Along with that, the management of religious land has many problems such as the archives and management of land records, land use related to religion, land allocation for private enterprises to build spiritual and cultural tourist areas, etc.
Scene of conference held at home affairs ministry’s office
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng highlighted that the state always creates favorable conditions for lawful religious organizations to operate in accordance with state laws. Because religious establishments and followers both increase over time while the land resource remain unchanged, it is necessary to reserve land for religious establishments in the local land planning, as well as ensure an equal mechanism in the issue of land allocation for religions, and better solve overlapping institutional issues related to religious land.
Chairman of central economic commission Trần Tuấn Anh speaks at the event
Addressing at the event, Chairman of the central economic commission Trần Tuấn Anh asked the GCRA to consider additional contents and issues raised by the conference participants, and complete the report for reviewing Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW of the 11st Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam to continue innovation of policies and laws on land.
He also asked to continue updating and assessing the demand for land use in religion, holding several seminars on religious land with the participation of representatives of religious organizations, and coordinating with the Steering Committee on the land law 2013 review to propose strategies and measures to the management and use of religious and belief land.
