Identifying Key Elements of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam – South
At the Summit, identifying organizations acting as tools for religious persecution
Mạch Sống, January 30, 2026
http://machsongmedia.org
Through a research document released in September 2024, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) identified the Evangelical Church of Vietnam – South (ECVN-S) as a tool used by the Vietnamese state to eliminate independent Montagnard household churches.
USCIRF is an agency that advises the U.S. Congress, the Secretary of State, and the President on foreign policy aimed at protecting global religious freedom. The agency has consistently advocated for placing Vietnam on the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) due to severe religious suppression.
Several pastors within the aforementioned general assembly have collaborated with the state to publicly denounce leaders of house churches in the Central Highlands, paving the way for police to arrest, torture, imprison, and even kill Montagnard Protestants to set an example. Among the approximately 80 Montagnard Protestants currently in prison, many are victims of pastor members of the ECVN-S.
> Figure 1 – A preliminary list of key figures in the organization acting as a tool for religious suppression for the Vietnamese state.
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"Even international Protestant organizations in fellowship with this organization never suspected such cruel acts," remarked Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, CEO and President of BPSOS. "We have been, and continue to, explain to them how an organization under a religious name is actually assisting in the suppression of others' religious freedom."
The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, taking place in the U.S. capital next week, will be an opportunity for the international community to recognize this reality.
Approximately 30 Vietnamese individuals from various U.S. states will have a breakfast meeting with USCIRF Commissioners on the morning of February 2. On this occasion, representatives of persecuted religions will discuss the next steps with USCIRF Commissioners—including the use of U.S. sanctions—now that USCIRF has identified six organizations as tools of the communist regime in Vietnam.
This past December, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio enacted a policy to impose heavy sanctions on perpetrators of Christian persecution anywhere in the world, including non-government officials. Previously, Secretary Rubio introduced regulations permanently banning the entry of key members of organizations acting as tools for the communist regime; their immediate relatives already in the U.S. could face deportation.
On the sidelines of the summit, BPSOS is also convening a private meeting with several Christian organizations to jointly lobby the U.S. government to punish those responsible for suppressing Christians in Vietnam.
Dr. Thang stated that, in his role as a member of the summit’s Steering Committee, he is also creating opportunities for international officials from the Article 18 Alliance—a collective of 43 governments committed to protecting global religious freedom—to participate deeply in the Summit.
"They will have the opportunity to meet witnesses of religious persecution from Vietnam and many other parts of the world," Dr. Thang shared. "Many governments within this multinational alliance also have sanctions similar to the U.S. against perpetrators of religious suppression."
Dr. Thang is a member of the Panel of Experts for the Article 18 Alliance.
Throughout the two-day summit, the Vietnamese delegation will divide into groups to contact international government and UN officials. Immediately following the summit, they will hold a series of follow-up meetings at Congress, the State Department, and USCIRF headquarters.
"By using sanctions, we want to remind the organizations named by USCIRF to fulfill their true religious functions instead of assisting in the suppression of those who do not share their beliefs," Dr. Thang explained.
The activities of the Vietnamese delegation in the coming days will be regularly reported in multiple languages at: VNFoRB Facebook, VN Advocacy Facebook, and BPSOS X (Twitter).
Related Articles:
* How the Evangelical Church of Vietnam – South betrayed Montagnard Protestants
* Y Tuan Mlo – The "Sinner Pastor" of the Montagnards
* USCIRF Research Document on organizations serving as tools for religious suppression in Vietnam.
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