Vietnam Ministries:

South East Asia Bibles

What: AsiaLink have committed to helping provide 50,000 copies of the Shan version of Mark’s Gospel as part of our South East Asia Bible project. These Gospels are not given out in a mass distribution but to individuals by evangelists and pastors. They then follow up later with those who received the books to see what questions they might have.

Other groups are receiving Scriptures too. The Koho people are receiving 5,000 copies and the Bru in Vietnam, another 10,000 New Testaments.

Why: An opportunity is currently open to us to help with this work. We anticipate the door will close at some point.

Cost: Suggested cost: £1.50 to print and distribute each Bible. £30 provides 20 Bibles

Operation Smile

What: To help children from poorer families in Vietnam who were born with cleft palate and/or harelip. Work is now broadening to include help to children with cerebral palsy and cancer.

To provide opportunities for national Vietnamese evangelists to establish relationships with non-believers.

Why: Extensive health problems have been registered among rural Vietnamese. Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancies, poor use of pesticides and the legacy of the massive abuse of herbicides during the Vietnam War are thought to have resulted in the birth of thousands of Vietnamese children with severe medical difficulties. Agreements with State-run hospitals have been reached to operate on these children if outside finance is provided. Children and a family member are brought to the hospital and returned afterwards to their villages.

AsiaLink also supports and trains local evangelists and pastors throughout Vietnam through a network of house churches.

Cost: A gift of £40 will help one child to have a better life, and an opportunity for his or her family to hear about Jesus Christ for the first time. A gift of £200 will bless 5 children.

Prayer: That the Lord would create a strong desire among families who have received medical help to know of the Gospel. For evangelists and their immediate families to be guarded from danger and persecution.

Vietnam profile:

A Socialist republic, Vietnam came under the control of N. Vietnam in 1975. The Communist party still controls all government activity and policy. World's second largest rice exporter. Significant reforms since 1990 but rural poverty still extensive. In 1975, all open missionary work ended.

Church/Mission activity

The Vietnamese constitution guarantees religious freedom. In practice, this has proved meaningless. The government controls all religious movements. Persecution of believers continues to be harsh and especially severe for unregistered churches. Meetings are only allowed in a few controlled sites across the country. In the north, where Communism has a much longer history, the situation is very serious.

Main unreached groups

Those in the north but especially among minority groups which are mainly Buddhist or animist. Chief concerns are the Giay, Hani, San Chay, Tho and Puoc which are the largest groups with no known believers. The Muslim Cham and the Buddhist Khmer. Among these, there are only a handful of known believers. There are more than 50 (researched) tribal groups scattered throughout Vietnam according to government statistics but perhaps as many as 150 distinct ethnic groups altogether that require a cross-cultural church planting effort. In many cases, especially among groups in the North, there are entire tribes with no known believers among them.

Bibles are being printed within Vietnam and distributed through state-controlled churches. There are real shortages. At least forty-five ethnic groups have no translation.

Persecution Index

Every six months, Open Doors World Watch publishes an index which grades countries according to the levels of persecution religious believers, and of Christians especially.

2009 Grading for Vietnam: 23rd

Vietnam

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Vietnam profile:

Church/Mission activity

Main unreached groups

Persecution Index

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