Dignitaries from Vietnam and co-authors share the country’s journey toward a favorable religious-secular relationship
The launch of “Religion and Rule of Law in Vietnam & Southeast Asia,” co-authored by Dr. Quang Hung Do, Cole Durham, Jr. and Brett Scharffs, was honored during the panel discussion on April 25 about Vietnam’s complex and multifaceted journey towards a harmonious relationship between religion and the secular state. The authors, joined by a representative from Vietnam’s Governmental Committee on Religious Affairs, explored the country’s dynamic religious character, the conflicts and tensions attached to it, and the responsibility of both the state and religious communities in promoting religious freedom and harmony.
“There is so much of human history that is tied up with law and religious issues,” stated Durham, the president of G20 Interfaith Forum. Law and religion, he pointed out, are deeply intertwined with each other and closely tied to the center of culture, creating a landscape that is constantly shifting and readjusting. “And it’s being readjusted against the background of culture— the background of the cultural understanding, philosophies, and political realities of the time,” he added.
Toward a more inclusive secularism
“Before, in our country, we defined spirituality and religion very strictly. But now, it’s a lot more open,” said Do, a professor from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities of Vietnam National University. The societal significance of religion, he noted, is something the Vietnamese government has already acknowledged since the 1990s. By recognizing religion’s potential to provide social and ethical contributions, he said Vietnam is striving for a less rigid secularity. “Vietnam has chosen a flexible and harmonious secularism and is moving towards a secularity that recognizes the social nature of religions,” he shared.
The Vietnamese government has been constructing the secular state model since 1955. Do said it is a framework grounded in harmony, cooperation, and pluralism. “Whatever the religion is, as long as it’s appropriate and in alignment with the law, we accept that,” he explained. He shared the country has grown from recognizing just six registered religions to acknowledging more than 60. Vietnam’s pluralism, he explained, is characterized by a state that maintains respect and neutrality towards all religious ideologies.
Although cooperation between the government and religious entities remains a challenge, he said the state will continue encouraging religious participation in Vietnam’s political structure. “Most recently, we only got four religions and six representatives in the Congress, and we still need more,” he expressed. He said if the country wants an effective secular state, then they have to recognize the “socialness of religion.”
Despite the difficulties entailed by being a socialist rule-of-law state, Do said the government is striving to balance religious freedom with its legal system, while enhancing public policy and religion-specific laws. In the construction of Vietnam’s legal structure, he outlined four principles: Responsibility, accountability, legal integrity, and transparency. “Right now, our government is more open and much closer to the people, which is great,” he shared.
“Since we opened our doors, the new wind has made the spirit and the light of the spiritual life and religion much better,” Do expressed. Although challenging, he said the government is working to improve the country’s legal framework to better recognize and accommodate the religious groups still unrecognized under the current law.
As Vietnam moves toward a more favorable religious-secular relationship, Do said the country recognizes religion as a fundamental part of human dignity and rights. “We don’t call religious culture the nature of the country, but we acknowledge that it’s very important,” he shared. He also noted the moral self-governance of religions that even the secular state might not have.
“Our Vietnamese government has done a great job in [giving] a place for the religious communities,” shared Do. In Vietnam’s quest to create an inclusive secular society, he said the government acknowledges the unique status of religious individuals and allows them to practice their spirituality freely, even alongside non-believers.
It’s not about controlling, managing, or governing; our daily work is about listening.
A living and dynamic system
Thieu Thi Huong, a director from Vietnam’s Governmental Committee on Religious Affairs, said Vietnam is a country rich in religious and belief diversity. However, echoing Do’s words, she said collaboration is still not easy among the country’s diverse array of religious groups. While reaffirming that religious freedom is a fundamental right of the people, she said, “It cannot lack the role and responsibility of the government, so that the small conflicts that can become hatred can be reduced.”
“I think there are genuine tensions that happen between religious groups,” said Scharffs, the director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. These conflicts, he continued, tend to escalate when only one perspective is heard. “And there are deep conflicts rooted in ethnicity and history that are often [framed] as religious disputes,” he added. He stressed the importance of understanding that conflicts are complex and multidimensional, with religion being just one layer of many.
While religious freedom fosters greater spiritual diversity in Vietnam, Huong acknowledged this diversity also tends to bring about social tensions and challenges that the government is working to address responsibly. She shared several real-life case studies illustrating these interfaith conflicts: Religious groups refusing to contribute to communal temples; Jehovah’s Witnesses refusing to donate blood due to their beliefs; Protestant groups avoiding traditional activities contrary to their religious values; and condemnation within religious groups upon seeing their members interact with other faiths.
Addressing these conflicts, Huong said, “In this case, the law will create the way that is good for all religions, whether the religions are different or not different, major or minor, they can all execute their religious freedom.”
She said Vietnam’s secularism is not about control, but about dialogue and guidance. “It’s not about controlling, managing or governing; our daily work is about listening,” she shared. Rather than forcing religious groups to conform to the country’s legal structure, she said the government’s work is centered on encouraging dialogues and engagement to help create a law system that guides and accommodates Vietnam’s religious diversity.
“There are opportunities for registrations that grow and develop as religious groups grow and develop,” said Scharffs. He said the system is designed to facilitate and help religious communities. “It is designed not to control religious groups, but to facilitate religious life. And it’s a remarkable change,” he expressed.
The founding father of Vietnam religion and rule of law
Given Vietnam’s multilayered cultural, historical and religious landscapes, Durham said the kind of complexity Do has been navigating is nothing short of amazing. The other panelists said calling the professor the “founding father of Vietnam religion and rule of law” is no exaggeration.
“This is someone who really cares about his country and his people, and really wanted to find the best kind of solutions that could be found,” Durham expressed. He said Do, with his in-depth knowledge of the Vietnamese cultural, philosophical and historical background, is uniquely positioned to interpret and address religious liberty issues in his country.
“The issue of the relationship of law and religion goes back much longer than there have been nation-states,” Durham shared. The evolution of Vietnam’s religion-state relations, he said, is closely tied to its colonial history. “The colonial power, among other things, relied on the Catholic Church for a long time to help implement some of the ruling structures,” he explained. He said this adds another layer of complexity to what defines a secular state.
“When you’re dealing with relations of religion to the state, you have to know what that state is that you’re relating to,” he stated. Vietnam, he noted, is undergoing a major structural reform, which will significantly impact how religion is treated in the country’s legal structure. Having witnessed Do’s expertise, Durham also said he assumes the professor is preparing for another round of legislation. “He would move toward a model where secularity can be a framework for accommodating different religions, and it’s creating a space where everyone can feel protected,” he shared.
“Now, for every good camper, you know that the first rule of being a responsible camper is to leave no trace. Whatever you carry up the mountain, you should carry back down the mountain,” Scharffs said. But academia, he noted, requires the exact opposite. “If you are going to be an academic, you should leave a trace. And Dr. Do has left a trace,” he expressed.
Citing how the French and American revolutions shaped the law-religion relationship in the West, Durham said Do had to navigate similarly complicated historical backgrounds to understand his own country’s challenges. The professor had to work through a complex set of filters to formulate feasible methods, and Durham said watching that process is something he is grateful for. “This was comparative law at its highest and law reform at its best,” he said.