Under the new decision, the government religious committee is still a general department under the ministry of home affairs but with an additional function of state management on belief.

In comparison with the previous decision, Decision 32 abolishes the professional training school under the government religious committee. Thus, the organizational structure of the central body on management of belief and religion has now 14 units, with 10 of them are administrative units and the rest non-business units.

The administrative units include five departments in charge of affairs of Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Caodaism, and other faiths, departments of legislation & inspection, international relation, organization & personnel, the committee office and the department on religious affairs in Vietnam South.

The last four non-business units comprise of the information center, the institute of studies of religious policies, the religion publisher and the religious affairs magazine.

By the new decision, the Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs would be appointed by the Minister of Home Affairs upon the Prime Minister’s opinion.

As similar as stipulated in the previous decision, the government religious committee shall advise the home affairs ministry of the submission to Government the draft laws and resolutions of the National Assembly, draft ordinances and resolutions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, draft decrees and resolutions of the Government, draft directives and decisions of the Prime Minister in the fields of belief and religion, as well as of strategies, long-term plans, national targets programs, and important  projects and schemes in the fields under its management.

As one of its key tasks, the government religious committee shall submit to the ministry of home affairs draft circulars; long-term, medium-term and annual plans on the state management on belief and religion.

The central religious agency shall direct, guide, inspect and organize the implementation of legal documents, promulgated or approved development strategies and master plans and long-term, five-year and annual plans and important national projects and works under its management; to inform, disseminate and educate about laws on belief and religion.

The issuance of Decision 32 aimed to accord with the Decree No. 34 dated April 3 2017 of the Government defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as meet practical needs of state management on belief and religion./.

An Nam