Baháʼí Faith in Vietnam

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The introduction of the Baháʼí Faith in Vietnam first occurred in the 1920s, not long after

Saigon in 1954, with the arrival of Shirin Fozdar, a Baháʼí teacher from India. The 1950s and 1960s were marked by periods of rapid growth, mainly in South Vietnam; despite the ongoing war affecting the country, the Baháʼí population surged to around 200,000 adherents by 1975. After the end of the war, Vietnam was reunified under a communist government, who proscribed the practice of the religion from 1975 to 1992, leading to a sharp drop in community numbers. Relations with the government gradually improved, however, and in 2007 the Baháʼí Faith was officially registered, followed by its full legal recognition a year later.[2][3] As of 2012, it was reported that the Baháʼí community comprised about 8,000 followers.[4]

French Indochina (pre-1954)

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan

The earliest association of Vietnam with the Baháʼí Faith was a brief mention of French Indochina—of which the country was then a part—as a destination for Baháʼí teachers in

Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on 4 April 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on 12 December 1919.[5]

"The moment this divine Message is carried forward by the American believers from the shores of America and is propagated through the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa and of Australasia, and as far as the islands of the Pacific, this community will find itself securely established upon the throne of an everlasting dominion..., if some teachers go to other islands and other parts, such as the continent of Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, also to Japan, Asiatic Russia, Korea, French Indochina, Siam, Straits Settlements, India, Ceylon and Afghanistan, most great results will be forthcoming."[1]

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá had at one time seriously considered a voyage to India and Indochina, as reported by Shoghi Effendi in 1919,[6] although whether such a voyage would have included the territory that would become known as Vietnam is not known.

Early contact

The first Baháʼí to visit Vietnam is likely to have been Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney [fr], one of the first Baháʼís of France, who undertook a number of travels around the globe at the request of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá.[7] After an initial planned visit was aborted in 1914 due to the outbreak of World War I, Dreyfus-Barney arrived in what was then French Indochina in 1920, visiting Saigon and Hanoi.[8] Four years later in May 1924, prominent Baháʼí travelling teacher Martha Root paid a week-long visit to Saigon. During her stay, she promoted the message and principles of the religion to a number of newspapers, making friends with one Madame Boeuf, editor of an English section in "L'Information de l'Extrême Orient". Boeuf was sympathetic to the principles of the Baháʼí religion, and published a number of favorable French-language articles. Several other newspapers also printed articles describing Baháʼí principles, in French, Chinese and Vietnamese. A public lecture was arranged with the help of the Governor, who, when approached, "himself telephoned the President of the largest school" to communicate his approval. Besides these initiatives, Root made calls to nineteen schools, societies and individuals in Saigon.[9][10]

In 1951, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India, Pakistan and Burma adopted the goal of sending pioneers to a number of cities throughout Africa and Southeast Asia, including Saigon, in response to the summons of Shoghi Effendi, then head of the Baháʼí Faith.[11] In a letter to an individual in September of that year, Shoghi Effendi reported that there were Baháʼís in Indochina at that time,[12] although their settlement seems to have been short-lived; a March 1952 report stated that Indochina remained unopened to the Baha'i Faith.[13]

South Vietnam (1954–1975)

Following nearly a

Geneva Conference on 21 July 1954. A provisional division of Vietnam was made at the 17th parallel, creating the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north and the State of Vietnam (later the Republic of Vietnam) in the south.[14]
Much of the development of the Baháʼí Faith during the following period took place in South Vietnam; the first Baháʼí groups in the north would not be established until 1992, long after the country's reunification.

Establishment and early growth (1954–1963)

In February 1954, Shirin Fozdar, a Baháʼí from India who had been a member of the National Spiritual Assembly there, went to Saigon to establish the religion in Indochina.

Quang Ngai. Also established in that year was the Baháʼí community of Phuoc Long, where the first Baháʼí school of South Vietnam was established; several other schools were established in Central Vietnam.[17][25][26]

In 1958

Rúhíyyih Khanum
visited in 1961 and were able to move back to Saigon before the end of the year. There was also a local newsletter the Baháʼí News in publication by then.

From 1957 to 1963 the Baháʼí community in South Vietnam had more than tripled (including among the

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Vietnam was established in 1964.[32] One report estimated over 20,000 Baháʼís nationwide by mid-1964, giving it the "third largest membership among the major religions" in South Vietnam at that time.[33]

Although the Baháʼí community held a generally positive relationship with the government of

overthrown, and the prohibition of Baháʼí activities was annulled.[34][35] An account reported in a Swiss Baháʼí newsletter in February 1964 claimed that Baháʼís in Vietnam had been subject to harassment for over seven years leading up to Diệm's ouster.[36]

Post-Diệm era (1963–1975)

As the

non-combatants.[37][38][39][40] By April 1973, 687 Local Spiritual Assemblies had been formed, and Baháʼís could be found in 1,685 localities. By 1975, there were an estimated 200,000 Baháʼís in South Vietnam, and the Baháʼí community and its institutions were still experiencing growth.[2][3][41]

Communist Vietnam (post-1975)

A billboard commemorates the 30th anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam.

In the chaos following the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, the Baháʼí community was severely limited logistically. Contact had already been lost with members in outlying areas, and the national convention scheduled for that time was cancelled; the National Spiritual Assembly was instead elected via mailed-in ballots.[42] In a 1978 report, the Universal House of Justice noted that

"In the latter part of the period under review [1973-1976] circumstances beyond the control of the Baháʼís have hindered the completion of the goals. An administrative committee has been appointed to function on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly.[41]

For a time, the incoming communist government seemed to tolerate Baháʼí activities; Baháʼís in the newly renamed Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon) were allowed to hold a commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Báb in July 1976, and following the setbacks of the previous years, a meeting was held the following year to elect a National Spiritual Assembly.

Official proscription

See also: Freedom of religion in Vietnam

Beginning in 1978, open practice of the Baháʼí Faith in Vietnam was officially proscribed. Baháʼís were forbidden to meet or to practice their religion, and Baháʼí properties throughout the country were closed or confiscated. Two members of the National Spiritual Assembly who were present when the national headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City was confiscated were arrested and sent to reeducation camps.[43][44] In a message sent a year later, the Universal House of Justice reported that Vietnam was among "those countries where the Baháʼí Administration cannot operate or has had to be disbanded".[45] Community numbers dropped sharply during this time as thousands of Baháʼís fled the country, arriving as refugees in the United States and other countries, where efforts were made to contact and integrate them into local Baháʼí communities.[46] Baháʼís in a number of countries throughout the world began sending support to those Baháʼís who remained in Vietnam, regularly sending parcels of medicine, clothes and other necessities; some were able to visit the country and meet with Baháʼís personally. The Baháʼís who remained in Vietnam made appeals to the government requesting the permission to practice their religion and the return of confiscated properties, although progress was limited. At the same time, appeals for the release of Baháʼí prisoners continued, through the Baháʼí International Community and a number of governments and independent agencies.[43] In March 1986, a copy of the Universal House of Justice's statement, The Promise of World Peace, was delivered by a messenger to Mr. Bui Xuan Nhat, the Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations.[47]

The 1990s and early 2000s saw conditions improve gradually. In 1990,

Hand of the Cause, visited Vietnam, focusing his efforts on "reinvigorating" the Baháʼís there.[48] Beginning in 1992, Baháʼís were allowed to meet in unofficial meeting halls to practice their religion quietly, and the first Baháʼí group was established in Hanoi.[4][49] In 1996, the Universal House of Justice sent a message to Baháʼís in a number of Southeast Asian countries, particularly calling "the sorely tried, steadfast and devoted friends" in Vietnam to demonstrate to the authorities and to their leaders that "Baháʼís, obedient and loyal to their governments, desire but the prosperity of their nations and the upliftment of their peoples."[50]

In 2000, Baháʼís in

Constitution upholds religious freedom,[54] the U.S. State Department reported in its 2001 International Religious Freedom Report that the Vietnamese government "continued to restrict" certain organized activities of religious groups, noting that "many of these restrictive powers lie principally with provincial or city people's committees, and local treatment of religious persons varied widely."[55][56]

End of proscription and recent developments

Danang
, in 2009.

With time, the fortunes of the Vietnamese Baháʼí community continued to improve. Baháʼís in Ho Chi Minh City were allowed to hold a quiet ceremony in May 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Baha'i Faith in the country. By 2006, Baháʼí community leaders reported having "good relations with authorities", and that the Baháʼís "appeared to be able to practice their faith without significant harassment." In November of that year, the US State Department reported that restrictions were being eased.[57][58] Finally, after many years of progress, the Baháʼí community was officially registered in early 2007, receiving a certificate of operation from the governmental Committee for Religious Affairs.[59] Following a year-long probationary period, its nine-member National Spiritual Assembly was elected and its charter adopted on 21 March 2008, at a national congress in Ho Chi Minh City coinciding with the Baháʼí holy day of Naw-Rúz. The event was attended by over 250 delegates and visitors.[60] The National Spiritual Assembly received its certificate of national recognition in July 2008, setting the stage for Local Spiritual Assemblies to be registered as well.[2][3][61]

With previous restrictions relaxed, the Vietnamese Baháʼí Community has continued to achieve marked progress, returning to a normal pace of activities and showing signs of growth in size, in freedom, and in institutional capacity.

Baháʼí World Center in Haifa, Israel. The nine-day pilgrimage allowed them to visit religious shrines and meet with fellow believers. In August of the same year, the Baháʼís of Hanoi celebrated the 20th anniversary of the religion's establishment in that city with a day-long public celebration, attended by nearly 100 followers from the northern area of the country, 20 foreign Baháʼís representing countries in the region, and government officials.[4] In May 2013, Vietnamese Baháʼís were able to send delegates to represent their country at the 11th International Baháʼí Convention in Haifa, where they participated in the election of the Universal House of Justice.[64] Later in the same year, a number of Vietnamese Baháʼí youth joined their counterparts in Cambodia at a youth conference in Battambang.[65]

Although the 2005 World Christian Database estimated the Baháʼí population of Vietnam well above 300,000,[66][67] the U.S. State Department estimated the Baháʼí population at around 8,000 in 2012.[4] Regardless, the 2015 estimate from the World Religion Database, the direct successor to the World Christian Database, was of 413,000 Baháʼís.[68]

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ^
    ISBN 0-87743-233-3
    .
  2. ^ a b c d "Small Baha'i And Muslim Communities Grow in Hanoi". Embassy of the United States of America in Vietnam. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original (Diplomatic cable) on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "International Religious Freedom Report: Vietnam". United States Department of State. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d "International Religious Freedom Report: Vietnam". United States Department of State. 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  5. ^ ʻAbbas, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (April 1919). Tablets, Instructions and Words of Explanation. Mirza Ahmad Sohrab (trans. and comments).
  6. ISBN 978-1-870989-91-6
    .
  7. ISBN 0-85398-075-6
    .
  8. ^ "Hippolyte Dreyfus, apôtre d'ʻAbdu'l-Bahá" [Hippolyte Dreyfus, Disciple of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of France. September 2000. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  9. ISBN 0-87743-184-1
    .
  10. ^ Root, Martha (May 1924). "A Trip to Indo-China on a Cargo Boat". Star of the West. 15 (2): 40.
  11. ISSN 0195-9212
    .
  12. ^ "Japan Will Turn Ablaze!". Baháʼí Publishing Trust of Japan. 1992. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  13. ^ Baháʼí Newsletter. No. 58. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India, Pakistan and Burma. March 1952. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ Nash, Gary B., Julie Roy Jeffrey, John R. Howe, Peter J. Frederick, Allen F. Davis, Allan M. Winkler, Charlene Mires, and Carla Gardina Pestana. The American People, Concise Edition Creating a Nation and a Society, Combined Volume (6th Edition). New York: Longman, 2007.
  15. ^ Sarwal, Anil (1989). "Shirin Fozdar: An Outstanding Pioneer". Baháʼí Digest. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  16. ^ "Vai tro Phu-nu trong trat-tu moi theo Ton-giao BA-HAI". Saigon Moi. 18 March 1954. p. 1,3.
  17. ^
    ISSN 0195-9212
    .
  18. ^ Lê Lộc 1972, p. 79.
  19. ^ Baha'i Community of Vietnam 2004, p. 8.
  20. ISSN 0195-9212
    .
  21. ^ Baha'i Community of Vietnam 2004, p. 9.
  22. Điện Bàn District, Quảng Nam province
    .
  23. ISSN 0195-9212
    .
  24. ^ "Tìm hiểu về đạo Bahaʼi ở Việt Nam" [Learn about the Baha'i religion in Vietnam]. Central Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  25. ^ "Progress of the Faith in Viet-Nam". Baháʼí News Letter (85). National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, Pakistan & Burma. August 1958.
  26. ISSN 0195-9212
    .
  27. ^
    ISBN 1-931847-26-6
    .
  28. ^ a b c Momen, Moojan (2 March 2002). "Buddhism and the Baha'i Faith". Baha'i Library Online. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  29. ISBN 0-85398-350-X
    .
  30. ISBN 0-87743-036-5
    .
  31. ^ Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land, ed. (1964). The Baháʼí Faith 1844–1963. p. 91.
  32. ^ Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land (ed.). "The Baháʼí Faith: 1844–1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953–1963". pp. 22, 46.
  33. ^ "Le Vietnam Nouveau". 7 July 1964.
  34. ^ "Buddhists March in VN; No Violence Is Reported". Bangkok Post. Vol. 19, no. 115. 21 May 1963.
  35. ISSN 0195-9212
    .
  36. ^ Bulletin d'Informations Baháʼíes de Suisse [Switzerland Baháʼí News Bulletin]. February 1964. p. 7. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. ISBN 978-1-55058-104-1
    .
  38. ^ "Selected profiles of African-American Baha'is, William H. "Smitty" Smith". 28 June 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  39. ^ Smith, Frank Barry. "About Veterans for Peace: Remembrance of Nikko Schoch". Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  40. ISBN 0-933770-28-6
    .
  41. ^
    ISBN 0-85398-075-6
    .
  42. ^ Baha'i Community of Vietnam 2004, p. 30-31,55.
  43. ^
    ISBN 0-85398-234-1
    .
  44. doi:10.1016/0048-721X(89)90077-8
    .
  45. ^ The Universal House of Justice (1979). "Launching of the Seven Year Plan". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  46. ISBN 0-415-92131-7
    .
  47. ^ Baháʼí News, Feb. 1988.
  48. ^ Ridván message, 1990. Universal House of Justice.
  49. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report: Vietnam". United States Department of State. 2005. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  50. ^ The Universal House of Justice (21 April 1996). "Ridván Message, B.E. 153". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  51. ^ compiled by Wagner, Ralph D. "VIETNAM". Synopsis of References to the Baháʼí Faith, in the US State Department's Reports on Human Rights 1991–2000. Baháʼí Academics Resource Library. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
  52. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report: Vietnam". United States Department of State. 2003. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  53. ^ Stoyles, Lyndall J. (November 2004). "View on Vietnam". Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  54. Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
    . 1992.
  55. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report — Vietnam". United States Department of State. 2001. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  56. ^ "Only religions that have been officially recognised have legal rights. To be authorised, the group must obtain Government approval of its leadership and overall scope of its activities. Failure to comply leads to persecution. The Government retains supervisory control of authorised religions. All religious organisations have to be affiliated with the Communist Party of Vietnam and an organisation called the Patriotic Front [i.e. Vietnamese Fatherland Front]. Government permission is required for many religious practices, including general meetings, charitable activities, operation of schools and ordination and promotion of clergy and travel outside the country. Religious training must be approved by the State and must promote the policy of "socialism". State approved churches are also required to promote Government policies on a wide range of issues." Stoyles, Lyndall J. (November 2004). "View on Vietnam". Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  57. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report — Vietnam". United States Department of State. 2006. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  58. ^ Terhune, Lea (14 November 2006). "Vietnam Praised, Uzbekistan Faulted on Religious Freedom". Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  59. ^ "Nation's Baha'i community gets religious recognition". Hanoi, Vietnam: Viet Nam News, Vietnam News Agency. 22 March 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  60. ^ Vietnam News Agency (22 March 2008). "Bahaʼi sect receives legal recognition". VietNamNet Bridge. VietNamNet Bridge. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  61. ^ Vietnam News Agency (26 July 2008). "Bahaʼi community recognised as religious organisation". VietNamNet Bridge. VietNamNet Bridge. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  62. ^ "The Battambang Regional Conference - Bahá'í World News Service".
  63. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report—Vietnam". United States Department of State. 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  64. ^ "Chia sẻ về Đại hội Baha'i Quốc tế lần thứ 11 | Nhịp Cầu Tâm Giao". Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  65. ^ Battambang Youth Conference. Baháʼí International Community.
  66. ^ "The Largest Baha'i Communities". Adherents.com. 30 September 2005. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  67. ^ "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  68. ISBN 978-90-04-32214-1
    .
References
  • Lược Sử Tôn Giáo Baha'i Tại Việt Nam: 50 Năm - Một Chặng Đường, 1954-2004 [The History of the Baha'i Faith in Vietnam: 50 Years - One Way, 1954-2004] (in Vietnamese). Baha'i Community of Vietnam. 2004. p. 76.
  • Lê Lộc (1972). Baha'i Là Gì? [What Is Baha'i?] (in Vietnamese). National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Vietnam. p. 248.

External links
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