The Executive Committee of Hoa Hao Buddhist sect in the southern province of Vinh Long has vowed to rally the involvement of its followers in residential lifestyle and new rural development campaigns.

The pledge was made at a meeting between over 230 Hoa Hao Buddhist dignitaries and officials from the Steering Committee for the South-western Region, the Ho Chi Minh Academy of Politics and Public Administration, the provincial Party Committee, and the provincial chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front on August 11.

The event aimed to update the dignitaries of the religious situation and the implementation of Party and State policies on religions and beliefs over the past time.

Dignitaries urged local authorities to promptly handle wrongdoings committed in the name of religion, make it easier for Hoa Hao Buddhists to be admitted to the Party, and support followers in having places of worship in line with law.

Home to over 35,000 Hoa Hao Buddhist followers, Vinh Long authorities have acted to ensure that religious policies are in full place and their citizens are entitled to pursue any religions or beliefs in conformity with law.

Founded in 1939 in the southern province of An Giang, the sect has spread across 19 cities and provinces nationwide with over 2 million followers.

Hoa Hao combines Buddhism, Animism, Confucianism and indigenous practices under the motto "For the dharma, for the nation".-VNA