Some Religious Characteristics in the Northern Mountainous Region of Contemporary Vietnam

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, religious life among ethnic minority communities in Vietnam -particularly in the northern mountainous region - has undergone significant changes that strongly affect various aspects of local society. These transformations raise pressing issues such as ensuring citizens’ right to freedom of belief and religion, addressing activities that exploit religion to destabilize society or threaten national security, and improving religious policies and laws while enhancing the effectiveness of state governance in religious affairs. Building on previous studies and drawing from the author’s field surveys over the past decade, this article clarifies several key features and current dynamics of religion in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam.