Religion Bulletin - June 2024 Hà Nội Collected the Most Offering Money in 2023; Thích Minh Tuệ Stopped His Pilgrimage

Vietnam Collected 4,100 Billion Dong in Offering Money from the Public to Temples in 2023

On June 26, domestic media reported that the country had collected 4,100 billion dong in offering money from the public to various temples and spent 3,612 billion dong of that fund. Among these, the highest amount was collected at the Núi Bà Chúa Xứ (Châu Đốc, An Giang) with 220 billion dong, followed by the Bảo Hà Temple (Lào Cai Province) with 71 billion dong. In terms of location, Hà Nội ranked first with more than 670 billion dong collected from offerings, while Quảng Ninh Province– where Ba Vàng Pagoda (one of the most popular temples in Vietnam) is located– collected about 200 billion dong.

This represents just the amount of offerings and donations given at historical cultural sites, not including in kind donations, ritual offerings, or bank transfers, meaning the actual collected amount is much higher. Moreover, there are currently 31,581 historical and religious sites nationwide, but only 15,324 of them (about 49%) have data on offering and donation income and expenditures.

The publication of offering money figures was carried out according to Circular No. 04 issued in 2023 by the Ministry of Finance, which provides guidance on financial management for organizing festivals and for donations and offerings to heritage sites and festival activities.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha once sent official documents to ministries and government bodies to strongly oppose this regulation because the Sangha has many temples recognized as heritage sites. According to statistics, there are currently 28 pagodas directly recognized or included in special national heritage complexes, and around 500 pagodas recognized as national heritage sites. When a religious site is recognized as a heritage site, monks of the Sangha and local authorities can more easily organize spiritual tourism and collect a large amount of offering money.

Monk Thích Minh Tuệ Ends his Pilgrimage

On the morning of June 3, 2024, Thích Minh Tuệ suddenly ended his pilgrimage while walking on the Hải Vân Pass (Thừa Thiên–Huế Province). Many people believe that he voluntarily stopped walking after a meeting with local authorities. Earlier, according to RFA, the authorities had forced monks walking with him onto several vehicles and dropped them off at different places. Thích Minh Tuệ himself was taken back to his home in Gia Lai Province. Many people in the group said that afterward they were made to sign a commitment not to join the walking group again.

The real name of Thích Minh Tuệ is Lê Anh Tú. Since 2017, he has walked across Vietnam three times. However, during his fourth journey this year, crowds began to follow him, and he suddenly became a phenomenon. Both the government and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha issued official statements saying that he is not a Buddhist monk. In addition, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha stated that many people had taken advantage of Thích Minh Tuệ’s image to distort the monastic life of the Sangha’s monks. The Sangha also called on followers to stop the wave of public opinion that it felt was an insult to the Sangha. Up to now, there has been no new information about Thích Minh Tuệ.

Religious Repression in Vietnam is Increasingly Worrying

On June 26, the US Department of State released its 2023 International Religious Freedom Report on Vietnam, stating that the country is increasing its repression of religion, especially against independent groups.

According to the report, Vietnam has threatened, and harassed many followers of minority religious groups, especially in the Central Highlands and northwest regions of the country. Examples include:

• In March 2023, authorities in Hội An City, Quảng Nam Province, dissolved a congregation of the World Mission Society Church of God and accused them of conducting illegal religious activities.
• In July 2023, authorities in Trà Vinh and Sóc Trăng provinces arrested three Khmer Krom Buddhist followers, Tô Hoàng Chương, Thạch Cương, and Danh Minh Quang, accusing them of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state and the lawful rights and interests of organizations and individuals. These individuals were said to have distributed materials about minority rights and religious freedom to members of the Khmer Buddhist community.
• On August 4, 2023, authorities in An Giang Province arrested Nguyễn Hoàng Nam, accusing him of using religion to oppose the state. He was accused of spreading false information about COVID-19 health measures and insulting local authorities.
• In September 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs instructed local People's Committees to strictly handle activities of the Church of God the Mother. The Church of God the Mother, officially known as the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), is a Christian new religious movement founded in South Korea in 1964 by Ahn Sahng-hong. The church believes Ahn is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and that Zahng Gil-jah, referred to as “God the Mother,” is the female divine counterpart. This dual-god theology—featuring both God the Father and God the Mother—is central to the church’s teachings.
• In September 2023, the People's Court of Gia Lai Province sentenced Rlan Thih, a follower of Dega Protestantism, to eight years in prison and three years of probation for undermining the unity policy. He was accused of advocating for the establishment of an independent church and a separate autonomous state for ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. That same month, Y Nuer Buôn Đáp, a member of an independent Protestant church in E Mập village, Ea Poc Commune, Cư Mgar District, Đắk Lắk Province, said that he and others were pressured by local authorities to leave their house church and join the government recognized Southern Protestant Church of Vietnam.
• In April 2024, authorities in Đắk Lắk Province prosecuted Y Krễc Byă, a follower of the Protestant Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, for undermining the national unity policy. He was accused of spreading information that created division between people and the government, and among religious groups, including taking part in online human rights training. Earlier, on May 18, 2023, authorities in Phú Yên Province arrested and prosecuted Nay Y Blang, also a member of the same church, for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on state interests and the rights of organizations and individuals.”

In addition, the report stated that authorities regularly suppress followers of the Dương Văn Mình religion by disrupting funerals, destroying altars, confiscating religious items, and using violence to force believers to sign papers renouncing their faith. As of March 2023, more than 8,000 Dương Văn Mình followers had reportedly left the religion. 

Dương Văn Mình Religion (or Dương Văn Mình Faith) is an unofficial spiritual movement that emerged in the late 1980s among the Hmong ethnic minority in northern Vietnam. It was founded by Dương Văn Mình and is considered a non-recognized religious practice by the Vietnamese government.

The report also noted that while Vietnam's Law on Belief and Religion allows the establishment of new religious groups, the registration process is overly complicated. In over four years, the government has only recognized two new religious organizations.

On December 2, 2022, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced that Vietnam would be placed on the U.S. Special Watch List (SWL) for religious freedom. As in previous years, Vietnam rejected the report. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Phạm Thu Hằng stated that the US report gave “unobjective assessments.”

Quảng Nam Prevents Followers of the Church of God the Mother from Practicing their Religion

On June 22, authorities in Quảng Nam Province discovered 11 followers of the Church of God the Mother holding a religious gathering in Duy Xuyên District. Authorities confiscated related materials and handled the followers under the law. In July 2022, December 2022, and March 2023, authorities in this province also prevented 25 followers from gathering and spreading the teachings of the Church of God the Mother.

The authorities accused the church of distorting religious doctrines, going against traditional customs, ethics, and morals, promoting superstition, and committing fraud. In September 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs instructed People’s Committees in provinces and cities across the country to strictly handle the activities of the Church of God the Mother.

Thái Nguyên Province Persuades People not to Follow Bà Sính Religion

On June 30, authorities in Thái Nguyên Province announced that the Bà Sính religion had been completely eliminated in the province. However, the authorities have not provided evidence showing that Bà Sính is an evil religion, nor have they proven that it incites separatism or self rule. Officials are persuading people not to follow the religion because it is not a state recognized religious organization.

The Bà Sính religion was founded in 1989 by Lý Thị Sính (born in 1951, of the Hmong ethnic group), around the same time as the Dương Văn Mình religion. There are 302 followers of this religion in Pác Nặm District, Bắc Kạn Province, and 42 followers in Thái Nguyên Province. Thái Nguyên has completely eliminated both the Bà Sính and the Dương Văn Mình religions in the province.

Cao Bằng Forces Followers to Sign Pledges to Abandon Dương Văn Mình Religion

On June 10, authorities in Quảng Hòa District, Cao Bằng Province, said that 100% of the followers had signed pledges agreeing not to participate in the Dương Văn Mình religion. This was the result of two intensive propaganda campaigns aimed at eliminating the religion across the province. In 2021, the government issued “Plan No. 78” with the goal of “fighting, preventing, and moving toward eliminating the illegal organization Dương Văn Mình.” Since then,  Cao Bằng, Tuyên Quang, and Bắc Kạn provinces have continuously carried out large scale crackdowns against this religion.

An Giang Province Prevents Followers from Attending the Anniversary Celebration of Huỳnh Phú Sổ's Founding of the Religion

According to RFA, from June 19 to 22, 2024, authorities in An Giang Province continuously took actions to suppress independent Hòa Hảo Buddhist followers from attending the 85th anniversary celebration of Đức Huỳnh Giáo Chủ’s founding of the religion at Quang Minh Tự Pagoda.

On June 19, a group of plainclothes police surrounded and beat a follower after he left the Quang Minh Tự Pagoda. On the night of June 20 and 21, authorities prevented two groups of followers from going to the pagoda, took them to a police station, and forced them to sign pledges not to visit the pagoda again.

According to RFA, 10 days before the anniversary, authorities had already prohibited followers from going to the headquarters of the Hoa Hao Pure Buddhist Church in Long Giang Commune, Chợ Mới District, and banned them from hanging commemorative banners. Every year, on May 17–18 of the lunar calendar, followers of the Hòa Hảo Pure Buddhist Church are prevented by authorities from organizing the anniversary celebration of Đức Huỳnh Giáo Chủ’s founding of the religion.