Loosened reins
“Vietnam” – a kind of synonym for a chronic state of war, the trauma of the US army, communist terror, oppression and suffering and for the brutal persecution of the innocent and dissidents, including Christians. But there is increasingly good news to report.
- Hanoi, charmingly chaotic
Freedom of religion in theory
With the new law on religion from 2004, persecution and harassment on the part of the authorities have lessened. You can even hear positive statements about Christian churches on the radio. Today the authorities allow a certain quantity of Bibles to be printed. The number of Christians has greatly increased in the last ten years. Within the minority tribe of the “Hmong” alone, around 200 000 have come to faith.
However, local Vietnamese authorities continue to exert pressure – especially on minorities.
In practice, persecution continues
- Victim of a landmine
- Hmong children
- Brightly coloured dress
The Hmong are the largest tribe of Southeast Asia. In Vietnam alone live over a million members of the tribe. They, too, are still heavily oppressed and indiscriminately persecuted by local authorities.
Involved in Bible-printing
- Hmong Bible
AVC is involved with printing and distributing Bibles for the Hmong and Yao tribes. 6 000 Hmong Bibles were printed in 2007.
In 2009, 10 000 Hmong Bibles and 1 000 Bibles for the North-Vietnamese tribe of the Yao were printed. This work will be continued in the years to come.
