The Vietnamese government has officially recognized what is known as the Interim Representative Committee of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vietnam. This Interim Representative Committee consists of three Vietnamese Church leaders (the Hanoi district president and the two Ho Chi Minh City branch presidents). Vietnam’s government has given this Interim Representative Committee national recognized legal standing to represent the Church in Vietnam.
In a ceremony Friday morning at the Church branch facility in Hanoi, Mr. Pham Dung, chairman of the Vietnam Government Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) presented the official national certification to Church leaders, members, and friends. Chairman Pham Dung was joined by other members of the Committee on Religious Affairs and other Vietnam government officials.
Eni Faleomavaega, the former chairman and current ranking member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, sent a congratulatory letter, which was read at the ceremony. It expressed appreciation to the government of Vietnam and its leaders, with whom Faleomavaega and Church officials have worked closely.