Vietnam’s Governmental Committee for Religious Affairs and Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs signed a cooperation agreement in Hanoi on Dec. 7.

According to Nguyen Thanh Xuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, religions have developed in Vietnam in tandem with the nation’s history, culture and struggle for liberation.

Buddhism is the largest organised religion in Vietnam which has developed over 2,000 years with more than 10 million followers and 45,000 monks and nuns practising at 15,500 pagodas, four Buddhist institutes and more than 30 Buddhist schools nationwide.

Vietnam also has other religions such as Catholicism, Protestantism, Brahmanism, Baha’i, Caodaism, Hoa Hao Buddism.

Xuan said the Vietnamese government follows a policy of respecting citizens’ religious freedom and the equality among religions, supports religious activities to serve the nation and protests any acts under the mask of religious practice to serve political and individual purposes.

Myanmar ’s Minister of Religious Affairs Thura Myint Maung said the cooperation would help increase the mutual understanding between the two peoples.

He said Myanmar is home to various religions, of them Buddhism is outstanding with 80,000 pagodas and other famous Buddhist sites. Myanmar protects the rights of its citizens to practice their religions under its Constitution and laws.

The two officials expressed their belief that the two countries’ exchange of experiences in implementing policies on religion, especially the cooperation agreement, would contribute to the development of their diplomatic ties./.