Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong had a meeting with US religiousdignitaries on July 7 (local time), stating that Vietnamese people livein harmony without religious or ethnic conflict.

He noted that Vietnam is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nationwith various religions and 54 ethnic groups. Since 1975, the number ofreligious followers has risen 2.5 times to 24 million.

The number of religious dignitaries has increased by 2.7 times andnumerous worship facilities have been built. Furthermore, almost allVietnamese families practice the custom of worshiping their ancestors,he said.

The Constitution and law of Vietnamgrant all people the right to follow or not follow any religion, statedthe Party leader.

He said Vietnam is currentlyin the process of building a rule-of-law state, with many of itsregulations needing supplementation and to be completed.

He welcomed the dignitaries to visit Vietnam and meet local peoplefrom various places to enhance understanding of the reality in thecountry.

David Saperstein, US Ambassador-at-Largefor International Religious Freedom and Robert Seiple, first USambassador for religious freedom, highlighted the significance of theVietnamese Party leader’s visit in fostering friendship and promotingsimilarities between the two nations.

They said manydelegates have been to Vietnam and eyed the country’s developmentand religious life in where people are able to worship freely.

Delegates at the meeting held that as Vietnam and the US are inthe reconciliation process, work remains to restore harmony between thetwo nations. They believed that with the foundations laid by bothcountries over the past years, the two sides can expect a bright future.

On the occasion, many US religious dignitaries also sent messages greeting the Vietnamese Party chief.