Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Vietnam.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.

In Vietnam we have publicly confirmed our position that members of religious groups and organisations, both recognised and unrecognised, should be allowed to worship and practise their beliefs peacefully. The UK works alongside likeminded diplomatic missions and organisations to coordinate activity on FoRB of religious communities. The UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement commits to cooperation on human rights and we raise concerns on policy and individual cases during our annual Strategic Dialogue with Vietnamese Ministers.

The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, made the UK's commitment to FoRB for all clear in a number of international meetings in November 2020. On 16 November 2020, he virtually attended the Ministerial meeting to Advance Freedom of Religion or Belief in Warsaw and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting FoRB, particularly during the pandemic. He also reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting FoRB for all at the Ministers' Forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance in the same month. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister appointed Fiona Bruce MP as his special envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the alliance, who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.