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SantaClaraUniversityReligion,EthicsandPoliticsinVietnam

ReligionandPoliticsinVietnam,Cambodia,andLaos
SeealsoSoutheastAsiahttp://www.scu.edu/ethicscenter/worldaffairs/politics/By_Countries_Regions/Southeastasia.cfm.
1.BriefIntroduction#1
2.AFewBooksorArticles#3
3.OtherResourceMaterials#4
4.RecentArticles#5
1.BriefIntroductiontoReligionandPoliticsinVietnam,Cambodia,andLaos

Vietnamhasapopulationofover90.5million,withapopulationgrowthrateof1.08%(July2011est).Ithada2010HDIrankingof#113anda
The1999CensuslistedVietnamas9.3%Buddhist,6.7%Catholic,1.5%HoaHao,1.1%CaoDai,.5%Protestant,.1%Muslim,and80.8%none.T
problematic,however,sincetheyfailtoaccountfortwoseparaterealities.First,theentirecultureistraditionallyveryConfucian,butthosevalu
analysis.Second,asaCommuniststate,thereisstrongpressurenottolistanyreligiousaffiliation.Hanson(below)explainsthetraditionalform
Marxiststatepenetration,regulation,andcontrolofreligiousorganizations.Inmoderatetimes,religiousadherentsarefacedwiththechoice
approvedreligiousorganizationorjoininganunlawfuloneandbeingpersecuted.Thegovernmentrecognizessixreligions,includingtheapprov
Vietnam.However,ithasoutlawed(1981)theUnitedBuddhistChurchofVietnam(UBCV),ledbyThichHuyenQuangandThichQuangDo.In
example,theCulturalRevolutioninChina,theConfucianMarxistgovernmenthuntsallreligiousbelievers.AsVietnamhasjoinedtheWorldT
internationalorganizations,thegovernmenthasbeenmoresensitivetoglobalcriticismabouthumanrightsabusesagainstreligiousorganizatio
Chinesemodelofeconomicrestructuringwithannouncementof"doimoi"in1986.TheCommunistgovernmentgraduallyencouragedprivatee
decollectivization,capitalmarketreforms,andforeigninvestment.AsinChina,theVietnameseeconomygrewquickly,andthecountryjoinedt
China,hassufferedintheglobaleconomicdownturn.AsinChina,thegovernmenthasalsorecentlycrackeddownondissentinpreparationfor
PartyCongress.

InCambodiaTheravadamonkMahaGhosanadaledecumenicalpeacemakingefforts,basedontraditionalBuddhistpractice,that,withthehelp
ledtoamoredemocraticCambodiaafterthehorrorsofPolPotsKillingFields.Recently,PrimeMinisterHunSenhascrackeddownonoppos
internationalorganizationssupportingdemocracy.Cambodiahada2010HDIrankingof#124anda2010CPIratingof2.1.Cambodiahasapo
14.7million,withagrowthrateof1.7%(July2011est.)TheCIAReportnotesthatonehastotakeintoaccountanexcessivemortalityratedueto
listedthecountryas96.4%Buddhist,2.1%Muslim,and1.3%other.

TheLaoPeople'sDemocraticRepublichada2010HDIrankingof#122anda2010CPIratingof2.1.Laoshasapopulationofnearly6.5million
(2011est.)Accordingtothe2005census,Laosis67%Buddhist,1.5%Christian,and31.5%otherandunspecified.Thereisastronganimisttrad
capturedinthelastfigure.
2.AShortIntroductoryCoursetoReligionandPoliticsinVietnamandCambodia

IntheUnitedStates,theplacetostartonVietnamisTheVietnamCenterandArchiveatTexasTechUniversity.HansonplacesVietnamesepoli
relationshipswithintheConfucianandMarxisttraditions.KingdiscussesBuddhisminnationalpoliticsduringtheVietnamWar,andanalyzes
Hanh.ApplebydescribesCambodiaTheravadamonkMahaGhosanadaspeacemaking.

TheVietnamCenterandArchive(www.vietnam.ttu.eduhttp://www.vietnam.ttu.edu)aimsatcollectingandpreservingsourcematerials,educatingth
scholarlyresearch.

Hanson,EricO.,Vietnam:CatholicPeasantSectarianism,inCatholicPoliticsinChinaandKorea(Maryknoll,N.Y.:OrbisBooks,1980),454

King,SallieB.,ThichNhatHanhandtheUnifiedBuddhistChurchofVietnam:NondualisminAction,inQueen,ChristopherS.,andKing,Sa
Buddhism:BuddhistLiberationMovementsinAsia(Albany,NY:SUNY,1996),32163.

Appleby,R.Scott,CharismaticReligiousMilitancyandItsLimitations:TheCaseofCambodia,inTheAmbivalenceoftheSacred:Religion,V
Reconciliation.(NewYork:Rowman&LittlefieldPublishers,Inc.,1999),12331.
3.OtherKeyResourceMaterialsforReligionandPoliticsinVietnamandCambodia
SeeJanuaryFebruaryAsianSurveyforannualsummariesofpoliticsinVietnam,Cambodia,andLaos.
Weiner,Matthew,MahaGhosanandaasacontemplativesocialactivist,ininQueen,Christopher,Prebish,Charles,andKeown,Damien.
inEngagedBuddhism(London:RoutledgeCurzon,2003).ThisarticlecoversthelifestoryandBuddhistthoughtofCambodiasGandhi.
4.RecentNewsArticles(a.Vietnamb.Cambodiac.Laos):
a.Vietnam

VietnamspremiermeetswithBuddhistleader,SanJoseMercuryNews,April3,2003.PhanVanKhaimeetswithThichHuyenQuang,patri
BuddhistChurchofVietnam.

UnclearevidenceonViettolerance,SanJoseMercuryNews,June27,2003.AnalysisofreligioustolerationinDacLac,Vietnamslargestpro
Highlandsareaof40of54ethnicgroups.

BuddhistchurchreportsstandoffincentralVietnam,SanJoseMercuryNews,October9,2003.1,000Buddhistsformedahumanwallarou
HuyenQuangandsecondhighestleaderThichQuangDoofUnitedBuddhistChurch.SecurityofficialslaterinsistedtheywerefreetogotoHan

Monkreturnshome,onepagodaatatime,SanJoseMercuryNews,March31,2005.TrichNhatHahnreturnstoVietnamafter40yearstop
http://www.scu.edu/ethicscenter/worldaffairs/politics/By_Countries_Regions/Vietnam.cfm

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SantaClaraUniversityReligion,EthicsandPoliticsinVietnam

Hahn,anopponentoftheVietnamWar,isbasedinhishomemonasteryofPlumVillageinFrancehttp://www.plumvillage.org/andheoftenpreache
leftVietnamonApril11.

VietnameseCatholicswelcomeordinations,SanJoseMercuryNews,November30,2005.VaticanenvoyCardinalCrescenzioSepeordains5
numbereverunderthecurrentgovernment.NegotiationsbetweentheVaticanandHanoicontinueaftertheagreedappointmentsofArchbisho
MinhManinHoChiMinhCityin2003andJosephNgoQuangKietofHanoiinMarch2005.

UnifiedBuddhistChurchofVietnam(UBCV)marks30yearsofpeacefulstruggle,BuddhistChannelhttp://www.buddhistchannel.tv/,December25,
Gabriel,Ca.,organizedbyUBCVsoverseasoffice,theVietnameseAmericanUnifiedCongressintheUSA,anditsofficialinformationservice,th
InternationalBuddhistInformationService.
VietnamsDeepRootedCorruptionThreatensDevelopment,NewYorkTimes,May7,2006.CorruptioninBusiness,State,andParty.

"HolySee,Vietnamofficialsdiscussnormalizationofdiplomaticties,"AsiaFocus,March16,2007.VaticanreportonsixdayvisittoVietnamh
"deputyforeignminister"PietroParolin.Thedelegationheld"workingsessions"withtheVietnameseCommitteeforReligiousAffairs,ledbyN
Committeereleasedanewdocument,ReligionandPoliciesRegardingReligiononFebruary1.PopeBenedictXVImetwithVietnam'sPrimeMi
onJanuary25.

"Vietnamhandspriest8yearprisonsentence,"SanJoseMercuryNews,April3,2007.ThedemocracyactivistReverandNguyenVanLy,60,w
tomergehisVietnamProgressionPartywithoverseasactivists.Othersweresentencedtolesserprisonterms.

"VietnamesechurchaimstofosterChina,Vaticanunderstanding,"NationalCatholicReporter,November2,2007.ReportontripofCardinalJ
ManofHoChiMinhCitytoChina,September2428,attheinvitationoftheStateAdministrationforReligiousAffairs.ManadvocatedBeijing
lettingsomeChinesebishopsattendthe2008meetingsoftheFederationofAsianBishops'ConferencesandtheSynodofBishops.Man'sgreat
fromGuangdong.

"Popetosendmessagetocongress,"AsiaFocus,June20,2008.Vaticandelegation,ledbyMons.PietroParolin,undersecretaryforrelationsw
governmentofficialsforthe15thinaseriesofworkingvisitssince1990.Dialoguefocusedonreturnofchurchproperty,episcopalnominations,
DelegationvisitednationalshrineofOurLadyofLaVangonJune13,whosepropertyhadbeenpromisedreturnbyprovincialgovernment(Bur
onMarch12).Popepromisedpersonalmessageforthisyear'sAug.1315MarianCongress,heldeverythreeyears.

"PatriarchofbannedVietnamesechurchdies,"SanJoseMercuryNews,July6,2008.ThichHuyenQuang,patriarchofUBCV,diedat87.Chu
QuangDo,80,brokeoutofhousearrestathismonasterytobewiththedyingleader.

"InflationDeliversaBlowToVietnam'sSpirits,"NewYorkTimes,August24,2008.Vietnamsuffersmajorinflation,impactonseasonalofferin
example."ReligionreturnedtoVietnamalongwithfreecommerce."

"VietnameseActivist'sCallforDemocracyDrawsUnusuallyWidePublicSupport,"NewYorkTimes,April3,2011.CuHuyHaVu,53,istheson
Minhandalawgraduateof
theSorbonne.AlthoughnotaCatholic,hehastakenastandindefenseofCatholicsarrestedfortakingpartinafuneralatacemeteryonlandcl
InterviewwithCardinalJeanBaptistePhamMinhMan,ArchbishopofHoChiMinhCity,NationalCatholicReporter,June24,2011.
b.Cambodia

CambodianLeaderCracksDowninBidtoSolidifyPower,NewYorkTimes,January9,2006.PrimeMinisterHunSenstiflesthehumanright

"PilgrimagesforPeace,"America(February11,2008):1921.InterviewwithformerJesuitbrotherBobMaat,whoservedasaphysician'sassist
CoalitionforPeaceandReconciliation.

"PrisonTermforKhmerRoughJailerLeavesManyDissatisfied,"NewYorkTimes,July27,2010.FirstconvictionofamajorKhmerRougelead
197579.Thecommandentofthecentralprisonandtorturehousereceived35yearsfromtheU.N.backedcourt.Countryhasnodeathpenalty,
dissatisfactionbysomeastooweak.Trialoffourmoredefendentscomingup.PolPotdiedin1998,andmanyCambodiansaretooyoungtorem
hasadvertiseditsactions.
c.Laos
ListofallCountrieshttp://www.scu.edu/ethicscenter/worldaffairs/politics/By_Countries_Regions/index.cfm#countries
August18,2011.

http://www.scu.edu/ethicscenter/worldaffairs/politics/By_Countries_Regions/Vietnam.cfm

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