THE LAWS
In the wake of the takeover of North Vietnam (1954), the administration applied again the methods it had learned from other Communist countries, frustrating the effects of the religions and negating their role in the people's life. On July 22, 1954, prior to the withdrawal of the French Expeditionary Corps from North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh called upon the Vietnamese, regardless of social status, religious belief, and political opinion and all parties irrespective of political tendencies to which they belonged to cooperate with him to work for the Fatherland and struggle for peace, national unity, independence, and democracy. In his 1954 Christmas message to his fellow countrymen of the Catholic Church, he promised that "the Government sincerely respects freedom of religion. As regards deceived Catholics who have gone to the South, the government has issued instructions to the local administration to take under its custody their rice fields, gardens, and other properties and to restore these to them on their return."
On June 14, 1955, before the land reforms resumed, Ho Chi Minh promulgated the decree 234/SL on the protection of freedom of conscience and worship. Among other things, the law stipulates that "... the government shall guarantee the freedom of conscience and freedom of worship of the people. Nobody is allowed to. infringe these freedoms. Every Vietnamese citizen shall have the right to practice a religion or not to practice any (Article 1)," that "In the process of land reform, a part of the land property owned by religious groups which was requisitioned by the Government, either with or without reparations for distribution to peasants, shall be left to the church, pagoda or sanctum concerned with a large enough area to ensure the performance of worship and to provide for living conditions of priests and religious dignitaries in order for them to carry out their religious activities. The size of such allotment is to be determined by peasants in the locality in which such church, pagoda, or sanctum is situated. In rural areas during land distribution, church and pagoda servants are entitled to receive their lots as any other working peasant (Article 10)," and that "the authorities at province level shall not interfere in the domestic affairs of the various religions (Article 13). Freedom of conscience and freedom of worship are the rights of the people. The authorities of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam always respect these rights and help the people in the practice of these rights (Article 15).
Ideological Premises
The official daily Nhan Dan (The People), on July 4, 1955, ran a long article praising the new religious policy of the Vietnamese Workers' Party, saying,
" ... the respect for and guarantee of freedom of religion has always been a consistent policy of the Workers’ Party of Vietnam and the Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Workers' Party is a Marxist-Leninist Party, professing dialectical materialism, which is founded on the scientific analysis of the laws of nature and society. It does not admit the existence of divinities, and it has always propagated its socialism and encouraged patriotism. But, at the same time, on the basis of the Marxist-Leninist outlook, the Party recognizes that religion is a social objective phenomenon, and its appearance, development, or disappearance have deep economic and social origins and are not dependent upon the subjective will of any group of individuals.
The Party always recognizes that religion is a matter of freedom of creed and freedom of opinion for the people, which neither force nor coercion can infringe or suppress. The Party entertains unqualified confidence in the scientific accuracy of Marxism - Leninism, but it also admits that such belief must be self-imposed and freely accepted and cannot be forced upon anyone. The Workers’ Party of Vietnam advocates unity with any patriotic Vietnamese, regardless of political tendencies, race, or religion, in the struggle for a peaceful, united, independent, and democratic Fatherland. Historical facts have shown that communists and followers of other political doctrines and believers of different religions may and have come together in a united National Front. This Front is, at present, expanding and being further consolidated. Respect for freedom of religion and the unity policy of the Workers’ Party of Vietnam is a sincere and long-term policy.
The Party’s Declaration has made it clear: "Believers of all religions must have the right to freedom of conscience." Ever since its foundation, the Party has always stuck to this policy. Respect and guarantee of freedom of religion has been also a major policy of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It is the reflection of the feature of the people’s power, which always looks after the material and spiritual interests, of the people including freedom of religion and freedom of opinion. This policy is embedded in many practical policies and deeds of the Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
A resolution passed by the National Assembly in its 4th session, has laid down in clear terms principles for the guarantee of the right to freedom of conscience. Implementing this resolution, on June 14, 1955, President Ho Chi Minh has enacted a decree concerning the guarantee of freedom of religion. This act once more defines in no uncertain terms the main principles of the policy of the Workers’ Party of Vietnam, with regard to religion and to freedom of religion and of worship and at the same time indicates clearly and comprehensively practical steps to guarantee such people’s rights. Article 15 of the decree reads: "Freedom of conscience and freedom of worship are the rights of the people. The authorities of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam always respect these rights and help the people in the practice of these rights." Such are the intents and purposes of the decree. It is a fresh evidence of the concern and care given to the people’s interests in every field by the Government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Freedom of religion is one of the people’s rights. It has now been enacted by the laws of the State, and everyone must correctly carry it out. Those who infringe this people’s right contravene the laws and shall be punished in accordance with the law.
The gist of the decree is the guarantee of the people’s freedom of religion and worship. It clearly points out that " ... the Government shall guarantee the freedom of conscience and worship of the people. Nobody is allowed to infringe these freedoms. Every Vietnamese citizen shall have the right to practice a religion or not to practice any." (Article I)." The authorities shall not interfere in the domestic affairs of various religions." (Article 13) On the other hand, the decree underlines that those who use the signboard of religion to serve imperialism by destroying peace, unity, independence, and democracy shall be punished in accordance with the law. This provision is not at all repugnant to freedom of conscience. On the contrary, it constitutes the very substance of the guarantee of this freedom ... (Foreign Publishing House, 1956., pp. 20-23).
The Flip Side of the Coin
The flip side of the coin proved to be true as soon as the laws were promulgated. The Geneva Accords of July 20, 1954 partitioned the country into two regions, the one north of the 17th Parallel was the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the other south of it, the Republic of Vietnam. After the withdrawal of the French Expeditionary Corps and the Viet Minh troops took over Haiphong, the city of last hope of the immigrants to the South, Ho Chi Minh, again, made "volte face." The Communist regime carried out oppressive measures against all religions they had learned from the Soviet Union and Communist China to put them under its control.
The Workers’ Party of Vietnam, the reincarnation of the Communist Party of Indochina, within 10 years, had made efforts to repress the religions, especially the largest Churches, the Buddhist Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The Party and its administration, step by step, eliminated all Buddhist organizations. They instituted in their place the Association of Patriotic Buddhists and placed them all under the control of the Communist-linked Fatherland Front. hey closed down all institutes of Buddhist studies. They returned home monks and nuns. Only old bonzes were allowed to perform religious services in State-patronized pagodas. Religious education and renewals at monasteries were strictly prohibited. The Buddhist faith could only survive in silence.
As regards the Roman Catholic Church, unable to destroy the Church's religious organizational structure, the Communists stroke at the Church’s pastors and priests, diluting their clerical duties with interdiction and restriction. They sought to separate the faithful from the clergy, wearing out the clergy’s prestige, and frustrate their influence among the faithful. Still, they made efforts to prevent the faithful from practicing their religious faith and restricting the priest from performing their religious services. Other measures consisted of cancellation of the formation and ordination of priests, denial of permission to provide monks and novices at abbeys and monasteries with foods and the necessities of life, and the prevention of the faithful from attending masses.
Under the direction of the Party, the authorities and cadres initiated the so-called anti-superstition campaigns to ridicule Christ and saints and deride religious practices and activities. They fabricated incidents of opposition activities, intimidated the clergy and laymen, and placed them under strict surveillance. They even attributed to certain priests or prominent laymen as the reactionary elements to arrest and send hem to reeducation camps. To weaken the Church’s propagation of the faith, they prohibited all religious associations to operate. They created the Association of Patriotic Catholics to direct religious activities. Like its fellow Buddhist association, this organ evolved within the orbit of the Father land Front, trying to replace the bishop as the representative of the Church beside the Communist leadership.
To divert the faithful from their religious practices, the atheists oriented them towards achieving to their purposes --to dutifully serve the Party’s political policies. With a scheme in sight, from 1954 to 1975, the Party tried hard to dismantle the Church and win over the faithful’ s minds. As a result, all through the period after the partition of the country, the Roman Catholic Church suffered tragic losses, both materially and institutionally. The formation and ordination of priests were in alarming decline. There were only 277 priests, including the priests who were ordained in hiding, for the whole North. The total number of priests was lesser than that of the clerical body of Saigon Diocese. In many regions cathedrals and chapels turned into granaries or store houses or became ruined.
By a similar approach, the atheist regime neutralized all religious services and activities of Evangelical Christianity. Ministers’ and pastors’ religious services at chapels and houses of worship were restricted. All congregations became the target of suspicion and control, and religious activities were made inactive. Only few pastors were allowed to practice the faith, being used as an instrument in the hands of the administration. Their role as the representatives of the Church was nominal. Bui Hoanh Thu, the President of Hanoi Congregation, was one of them.
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