HANOI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is ready to have dialogues on religious
differences with the United States, local newspaper Vietnam News on Wednesday
quoted Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung as saying.
The Vietnamese government is always willing to listen and enter into
dialogues with the United States on the difference, Dung said while meeting with
a delegation of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on
Tuesday.
As a UN member, Vietnam understands UN declarations on human rights.
However, the issue should be based on the State Constitution and law that
reflect the people's aspirations, he said.
Any Vietnamese citizen who violates law of the Vietnamese State will have
to be treated in line with law, regardless of religious or ethnic identities,
Dung emphasized.
Dung has also pledged to create most favorable conditions for the U.S.
religion watchdog delegation during their working visit in Vietnam. However, the
delegation should conduct their study and have opinions about religion in
Vietnam in an objective way, reflecting the truth and avoiding imposing lopsided
viewpoints about religious freedom in the country.
There are differences in concepts of culture, lifestyle, religious freedom,
and legal system between Vietnam and the United States, because each nation has
its own history and cultural tradition, he said.
As for bilateral ties, Dung said the Vietnamese government always pursues a
policy of looking towards to the future for the interest of the two nations. The
government and people of Vietnam want and will do their utmost to further
promote the bilateral relations in all fields.
