Ahead of Biden visit, US watchdog says Vietnam backsliding on religious freedoms

Vietnam was on a "similar trajectory to China in terms of its regulation and control of religion", said the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. - PHOTO: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters): Days before a visit by President Joe Biden to Vietnam in which he aims to upgrade diplomatic ties, a US government commission accused the country of backsliding on commitments to ensure religious freedoms.

In a report on Tuesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that since Washington dropped Vietnam from a list of "countries of particular concern" (CPC) over religious freedom in 2006, the Hanoi government had created "more space in some areas" for expressions of belief.