On July 8, 2014, at the headquarters of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA), Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice-Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) and Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of LFNC co-chaired a working meeting and signed a new cooperation agreement for the 2014-2020 period.

At the meeting, the two sides exchanged on the religious situation, efficiency of state management on religious in each country and assessed the results of implementation of the cooperation agreement signed between the two sides in recent years.

Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice-Chairman of the GCRA speaks at the signing ceremony

Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà shared some information about religious situation of Vietnam, and informed that currently about 95% Vietnamese population have a belief related religious life, including over 24 million religious followers (about 27% overall population), 83,000 dignitaries and 25,000 worshipping places. Vietnam is a multi-religion nation with many religious followers, the Government of Vietnam always implements consistent policies to respect and guarantee the right to freedom of belief and religion and the right to follow or not to follow a religion.

The GCRA and the Central Committee of LFNC first began religious cooperation in 2002. On June, 2007, the two sides signed a cooperation agreement in religious affairs. The implementation of the cooperation agreement have obtained certain results through exchanges of visits, organization of religious conferences between border provinces of two countries, training of LFNC officials…

The results of implementation of the cooperation agreement have practically contributed to religious affairs in each country, created favorable conditions for the two sides to exchange information and experiences of State administration on religion in each country and strengthen the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between the Parties, countries and peoples of Vietnam and Laos.

The GCRA and the LFNC signed a new cooperation agreement for the 2014-2020 period. Accordingly, the two sides agree to extensively disseminate among the people of two countries about the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation; organize seminars for exchange of religious experiences between two agencies; create favorable conditions for Buddhism in the two countries to strengthen exchanges and visit each other; promote efficiency in state religious affairs contributing to protect the independence and stability in the two countries, the region and the world.

PH