Vietnam: Information on the Cao Dai religion and the treatment of its members (2002)
The Website of the Sydney Centre for Studies in Caodism offers an overview of the theological and organizational foundations of the Cao Dai religion; however, no information on the treatment of Cao Dai members in Vietnam is included on the site. According to the Sydney Centre, the Cao Dai religion began in Vietnam in 1925 and 1926 when it was transmitted through séance to members of the Vietnamese civil service (10 Nov. 2000). There are now an estimated 5 million members of the religion throughout the world (Sydney Centre 10 Nov. 2000). Cao Dai refers to "God the Father (the Supreme Being, the Creator, the Ultimate Reality of the Universe)" and seeks to unify all of the world's religions (ibid. n.d.). Caodists venerate the teachings of "God the Father" through the great prophets such as Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad and others, and they believe that "the Age has now come where He speaks to humanity directly" (ibid.). For further information on the Cao Dai belief system, history, structure, practice of worship, and sacred texts, please refer to the attached document, "Caodism: The Third Universal Amnesty of God in a Nutshell" (ibid.).
The International Religious Freedom Report 2002 describes various aspects of the historical development and spiritual context of the Cao Dai religion in Vietnam (7 Sept. 2002). The report, called "untrue and biased" by a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman (AFP 8 Oct. 2002), maintains that "restrictions on the hierarchies and clergy of religious groups [in Vietnam] remained in place" (International Religious Freedom Report 2002 7 Sept. 2002, Sec. II). The United Kingdom's Vietnam Country Assessment report of 2002 adds that "most human rights abuses involve unregistered groups" and that "registration issues are at the fore of most disputes between (unofficial) religious groups and the government" (UK Oct. 2002, Sec. 6.A.II). Out of 13 different internal groups within the Cao Dai religion, only the Thien Tien and the Tay Ninh Cao Dai sects are officially recognized by the Vietnamese government (International Religious Freedom Report 2002 7 Sept. 2002, Sec. I).
Section II of the International Religious Freedom Report 2002 explains that although some Cao Dai clergy cooperated in negotiating fundamental changes to the structure and practice of the religion with the Vietnamese government in 1997, other independent Cao Dai members opposed the reorganization of the religion, including the edict of the government-supported Cao Dai Management Council, the rewriting of the constitution and the banning of certain rituals deemed "'superstitious'" by the government (ibid., Sec. II). For further information regarding the reorganization of the Cao Dai religion and its relationship to religious intolerance in Vietnam, please refer to the attached report which was submitted to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance by the President of the Cao Dai Congregation of Washington DC in 1998.
Please see VNM30172.E of 5 October 1998 for further information on the Cao Dai religion and the treatment of its members.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Hong Kong, in English]. 8 October 2002. "Vietnamese FM Spokeswoman Says US Religious Report 'Untrue,' 'Biased'." (NEXIS)
International Religious Freedom Report 2002. 7 September 2002. "Vietnam." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/13916.htm> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2003]
Sydney Centre for Studies in Caodism. 10 November 2000. "Extraordinary Temple Opens in Wiley Park, Sydney, Australia." (press release) <http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~cdao/Press.htm> [Accessed 13 Mar. 2003]
_____. n.d. "Caodism: The Third Universal Amnesty of God in a Nutshell." <http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~cdao/cdinans.htm> [Accessed 13 Mar. 2003]
United Kingdom (UK). Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Home Office. October 2002. Vietnam Country Assessment.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
Unsuccessful attempts to obtain information from the Sydney Centre for Studies in Caodaism, the Cao Dai Temple of Montreal and the Cao Dai Asociation of Washington, DC.
Internet sites, including:
Amnesty International
Asian Human Rights Commission
The Asian Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
Center for Religious Freedom
Center for Studies on New Religions (CENSUR)
Free Vietnam Alliance
Human Rights Watch
Namviet.net
Sydney Centre for Studies on Caodism
Vietnam Human Rights Network
Vietworld
World News Connection
Attachment
Cao Dai Congregation of Washington DC. 12 August 1998. "Religious Persecution in the Cao Dai Religion: Policy and Measures Aimed at the Abolition of the Cao Dai Religion by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam." Report submitted by Tran Quang Canh, President, Cao Dai Congregation of Washington DC, to Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance.<http://www.caodai.net/eng/news/Persecution_Cao_Dai.htm> [Accessed 11 Mar. 2003]
Sydney Centre for Studies in Caodism. n.d. "Caodism: The Third Universal Amnesty of God in a Nutshell." <http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~cdao/cdinans.htm> [Accessed 13 Mar. 2003]