Hanoi mayor receives delegation of LDS Church

Hanoi (VNA) – Chairman of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 15 for a delegation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who are on a working visit to Vietnam.

Gary E. Stevenson, who led the delegation, expressed his delight at the positive changes of Hanoi with many big transport and urban infrastructure projects since he visited the capital city of Vietnam for the first time in 2016.

He noted the LDS Church is growing and has been present in 190 countries and territories with about 16 million followers, more than half of whom are US citizens.

He also noted with satisfaction that the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs recognised the provisional mission of the LDS Church in Vietnam. At present, the LDS Church has two districts in Vietnam, including one with three branches in Hanoi.

Stevenson said the LDS Church followers in Hanoi have practiced their religion freely and in broader spaces, through which he can see the support of the city’s administration and the Vietnamese Government.

The LDS Church will continue implementing humanitarian programmes in Hanoi and Vietnam through encouraging its followers to actively engage in environmental protection, climate change response, and providing clean water for people in remote areas, he added.

Appreciating the Church’s activities in Hanoi and Vietnam, Chairman Chung expressed his hopes that the Vietnam mission of the LDS Church will soon be completed and develop.

He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of creating favourable conditions for all citizens to practice their faith.

During its development, Hanoi has been facing a number of challenges, especially in transport, pollution, health care and education. It hopes that the Church will become a bridge linking the city with the state of Utah of the US so as to open up cooperation opportunities in the future, the official noted.-VNA