Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has consistently pursued the policy of respecting and guaranteeingthe right to freedom of citizens to follow or not follow any religion andbelief, stated the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

This is clearly stated in the country’s Constitution, continuously improved inits legal system and policies on belief, and guaranteed and respected inreality, she said on July 4 in response to reporters’ queries about Vietnam’s comments on the InternationalReligious Freedom Report released by US Department of State.

Hangfurther explained that up to 95 percent of the Vietnamese population practise abelief or religion, of which over 24.3 million or 27 percent of the populationare religious followers.

Vietnamhas 53,000 religious dignitaries and 28,000 worshipping places, she said,adding that there are more than 8,000 religious festivals in the country eachyear.

Thecountry has hosted many major international religious events such as the 500th anniversary of the ProtestantReformation in 2017 and the United Nations Day of Vesak for the third time thisyear, Hang noted.

TheUS’s report recognised achievements and progress Vietnam has made in ensuringand promoting religious life, Hang said.  

Shestressed that Vietnam and the US have maintained regular information exchangesand worked to intensify mutual understanding about issues of their concern.

However,the report still has some partial evaluations which are based on false informationabout Vietnam.

Vietnam stands ready to cooperate and hold dialogues with the US in the field inorder to narrow differences and strengthen mutual understanding, for the sake ofpeople of the two countries, she said.-VNA