PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Religious freedom advocates are desperately seeking information on the whereabouts of 11 imprisoned Christians in Vietnam. 

International Christian Concern (ICC) in Washington D.C. and Voice of the Martyrs-Canada recently said the men — six Protestants and five Catholics — were sentenced between 2011 and 2016 for “undermining national unity policy.” A Voice of the Martyrs-Canada spokesman said they should be home by now, but the ICC says “their whereabouts are a mystery.” 

Msgr. Cuong Pham, coordinator for the Ministry to the Vietnamese Immigrants in the Diocese of Brooklyn, said he couldn’t comment about the five imprisoned Catholics without more information. But he did confirm the struggles of living the faith in the Central Highlands — home to an estimated 200,000 Montagnard Catholics. 

The Vietnamese government allows religious participation, but only with groups that are registered and licensed to operate. The U.S. Department of State keeps track of them, including the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), the Vietnam Baptist Convention (VBC), Hindus, Muslims, and even 1,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ). 

The State Department reported in 2022 that the VBC was growing, but government officials did not approve applications for new churches. The government tells people to join existing congregations. 

But many Christians, like Montagnard Catholics in the Central Highlands, decide their hunger for God can’t wait, so they gather to worship and pray. 

“The story usually is: They gather at the home of a Catholic person to pray,” Msgr. Pham explained. “That is considered outlawed by the government because your house is not designated as a worship site.” 

“Montagnard” is a French term for “mountain dwellers.” They aren’t a single tribe, but dozens of indigenous groups, including the Mnong, Jarai, and Rhade, to name a few. Together, they number about 1 million people — one-tenth of Vietnam’s population. According to census data, the country has 7 million Catholics. 

The five Montagnard Catholics were sent to prison for participating in unlicensed Catholic activities, according to the ICC. 

Msgr. Pham, born in Vietnam, is the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria. He keeps close contact with Vietnamese bishops and recently returned from there. 

He previously told The Tablet that Vietnam’s central government has tolerated public worship since officials concluded they couldn’t eradicate religion despite their military victories against French colonialists and the U.S.-supported Republic of Vietnam. 

While Vietnam’s constitution states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of belief and religion, to follow or not to follow any religion.” The document adds that “it is strictly forbidden” to use religion “to violate the law.” 

Local governments — tantamount to U.S. counties and municipalities — tend to be more restrictive on public worship than the central government, Msgr. Pham said. 

Thus, Vietnamese bishops work hard to develop working relationships with local government officials, frequently with success. 

“In big metropolitan areas, no problem,” Msgr. Pham said, “but freedom of religion is not guaranteed uniformly throughout Vietnam … especially in the poorer highland areas.” 

But, while Montagnards face poverty and insufficient education, they’re not ignorant. They have access to the Internet and cell phones, Msgr. Pham said, and they hunger to know God. Meanwhile, applications to start a church are languishing, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). 

As a result, Vietnamese officials are repeatedly telling people that they should join churches that the government has already approved. 

But many refuse. 

“That’s when the police come in, and sometimes even the military,” Msgr. Pham said. 

The People’s Public Security Forces — Vietnam’s national police force — has posted information on its website warning against unlicensed “evil cults” that “incite activities against the people’s government.” They’re also suspected of preaching “scriptures” with critical content “contrary to traditional culture.” 

Another police website, The Border Guard, describes the government crackdown on a “cult religion” during the early 2000s in the Ha Mon commune. 

There, a Catholic woman, Y Gyin, claimed the Virgin Mary appeared and told her to start a new religion. 

The woman received a prison sentence but was released early in 2016 after recanting her claims. 

The recent religious freedom concerns follow long-standing positions on Vietnam held by Human Rights Watch in Manhattan and the Brooklyn-based Aid to the Church in Need. 

USCIRF has repeatedly said Vietnam’s registration process is “complicated and burdensome.” 

It recommends the United States promote changes to accelerate approvals for more parishes and churches. 

USCIRF also wants the U.S. State Department to move Vietnam from a “special watch list” to the stricter status of “Country of Particular Concern,” which could bring political or economic sanctions. 

However, not all the news regarding religious freedom in Vietnam is grim. 

For example, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski in December to be Vietnam’s first resident papal representative since 1975. 

Msgr. Pham called it a “milestone” that wouldn’t have happened without years of diplomacy. He has advocated for more high-level talks, even if critics assail contact with communists. 

“Conversation is important,” Msgr. Pham said. “How can you come to a level of understanding without conversing with those people, including your enemies?”