Hoa Binh province recorded nearly 20 cases of religion-related wrongdoings in 2023 and the first two months of 2024. However, thanks to their active and effective engagement, relevant agencies and religious organisations have helped the provincial and district-level People’s Committees deal with those cases in a timely manner and in line with legal regulations, thus ensuring religious freedom.
Local agencies, Party committees, and administrations
present bicycles to disadvantaged students in Muong Riec Parish in My Thanh
commune, Lac Son district, in the 2023 - 2024 school year.
Conditions
created for religions to be practiced in line with law
Three religions are present in Hoa Binh at
present, namely Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestantism, with more than 48,000
followers, accounting for about 5.9% of the total population. The religions are
practiced in 99 of the 151 communes, wards, and townships in all the 10
district-level localities.
In terms of Buddhism, the province has more than
26,000 followers, one provincial executive board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha
(VBS), four district-level VBS executive boards, and nine pagodas, according to
the provincial Department of Home Affairs.
In terms of Catholicism, there are over 21,000
followers and eight parishes covering 70 communes, wards, and townships of all
the 10 district-level localities. There are also seven churches of parishes and
six others of clans.
Meanwhile, there are about 100 Protestants
following many different sects. Despite the small number of followers, local
authorities have still created favourable conditions for them to practice their
religion at home.
Nguyen Dinh Tu, Deputy Director of the
provincial Department of Home Affairs, said that generally speaking, religious
followers trust the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and law while
complying with local regulations. All-level Party committees and
administrations have paid constant attention to and created conditions for
religions to be practiced in line with legal regulations.
Religious and belief-related activities are
basically stable and comply with law, he noted, adding that over the past
years, there have been no such things as abusing belief or religion to sabotage
the administration, inciting people to crowd to cause disorder, or breaking
rules on religious affairs.
Priest Nguyen Trung Thoai, who is in charge of
Hoa Binh Parish, said following the Government’s decree, the National Assembly
Standing Committee’s ordinance, and the Law on Belief and Religion, religious
activities have taken place stably and been facilitated by the local Party
committee and administration.
Guiding
religious followers towards good secular, religious life
Over the recent past, executive boards of
religions in the province have also properly instructed followers to lead a
good secular and religious life.
Priest Thoai said followers have been encouraged
to do good deeds. Thanks to the local Party committee and administration’s
attention, more than 3,000 followers in Hoa Binh Parish have gained favourable
conditions to practice their religion freely and in accordance with law.
Tu noted that by properly disseminating legal
regulations on belief and religion, religious dignitaries and followers in Hoa
Binh have maintained their trust in the Party’s guidelines and the State’s
policies and laws, stayed united, adhered to local regulations, and actively
engaged in charitable activities.
In addition, religious organisations and
followers have taken part in the fight against the abuse of religious affairs
to sabotage the Party and State, illegal missionary work and crimes. They have
also participated in the ensuring of local political security and social order
and safety, as well as the prevention of complex religion-related problems from
occurring.
March 3 marked the first official working day for specialised agencies under the provincial People's Committee following the merger or transfer of functions and tasks from the previous agencies. On this day, the newly merged departments and agencies took proactive steps to arrange personnel, organise workflows, and implement tasks efficiently, ensuring that administrative procedures were carried out smoothly without interruption.
Kim Boi district of Hoa Binh province has thoroughly implemented and adhered to Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW on restructuring the organisational apparatus of the political system towards a streamlined, efficient, and effective direction, ensuring no disruption of work.
By mid-February, Da Bac district completed a plan to streamline its organisational apparatus and personnel work, marking a milestone in efforts to promote restructuring towards a leaner, more efficient organisational system, closely following directives from the Party Central Committee’s Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, and Conclusion No. 121-KL/TW, and Resolution No. 27-NQ/TU of the provincial Party Committee and Conclusion No. 1103-KL/TU by the provincial Party Organisation’s standing board.
Imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's teaching "The Party cell are the Party’s grassroots foundations. A strong Party cell ensures the effective implementation of the Party’s policies and continuous progress in all tasks," the Party Committee of Kim Boi commune, Kim Boi District, has rolled out the "four-good Party cell" model. The initiative has created a positive change, enhancing the leadership capacity and fighting spirit of Party organisations and their members.
The Standing Committee of the Hoa Binh Provincial Party Committee convened on February 27 to discuss key socio-economic development plans, with Party Secretary Nguyen Phi Long chairing the meeting.
The first meeting of the Party committee of Hoa Binh Party agencies for the 2020-2025 period was held on February 26.alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Phi Long attended the event.