The United States has removed Vietnam from a list of countries which it says severely violate religious freedom, BBC online reports Tuesday.
The list is published annually by the state department and includes China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Burma, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and this year also Uzbekistan. The state department said observant Muslims are targeted as extremists in the former Sovjet republic in Central Asia.
Vietnam was removed just days before President George W Bush travels to Hanoi for a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum.
The US state department said there had been “significant improvements toward advancing religious freedom” in Vietnam.
There is little doubt that religious freedom has increased in Vietnam in the two years it has been on the list, but critics question whether it has increased enough.
There has been a revival of religious feeling in the country. New Buddhist pagodas are springing up and the Catholic Church has ordained new priests.
But there are limits. Only religious organisations that pledge loyalty to the state enjoy freedoms and dissidents, both Buddhist and Christian, face harassment.
There has also been a US effort to normalise diplomatic and trade relations with Vietnam. But the House of Representatives failure to pass a bill establishing permanent trade relations with Vietnam with a two-thirds majority on Monday surprised many.
The bill would allow US farmers, bankers and businesses to share in the benefits of Vietnam’s fast-growing economy now it has joined the World Trade Organisation.
However, Republicans are hoping they can get it passed later this week, before President Bush travels to Hanoi.
