What is folk belief? Procedures for registration of the practice of folk beliefs in Vietnam

What is folk belief? Procedures for registration of the practice of folk beliefs in Vietnam (Internet image)

1. What is folk belief?

- Folk belief represents the human’s faith manifested through rituals in connection with traditional custom to bring about individual and communal spiritual peace.

- Practice of folk beliefs means the activities of worshiping ancestors and sacred symbols, of commemorating and honoring people with meritorious contributions to the country or a community; and folk rituals typical of historical, cultural, ethical and social values.

(Clause 1, 2, Article 2 of the Law on religion and folk belief 2016)

2. Principles of the practice of folk beliefs in Vietnam

- Folk belief activities and folk belief festivals shall conserve and uphold the country's fine cultural and traditional values.

- The organization of folk belief activities and folk belief festivals shall maintain security, order, social safety, thrift and environmental protection.

(Article 10 of the Law on religion and folk belief 2016)

3. Representatives and the managements of folk religious establishment in Vietnam

- A folk religious establishment shall have a representative or the management that assumes liability to the law for the establishment’s activities.

- The representative(s) or members of the management of a folk religious establishment shall be Vietnamese citizen(s) residing permanently in Vietnam, possess full capacity for civil acts and have prestige among the residential community.

- People’s Committee of the commune where the folk religious establishment exists shall cooperate with the equivalent Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in organizing the residential community’s election of the representative(s) or members of the management.

People’s Committee of the commune shall base on the result of election and Section 2 of Article 11 of the Law on religion and folk belief 2016 to validate in writing the representative(s) or members of the management of the folk religious establishment in 05 working days from the date of election.

- The election of the representative(s) or the formation of the management of a folk religious establishment ranked as a historic - cultural vestige or scenic sight shall be subject to the legislation on cultural heritage.

- The election of the representative(s) or the formation of the management of an ancestral house shall not be subject to Section 3 of Article 11 of the Law on religion and folk belief 2016.

(Article 11 of the Law on religion and folk belief 2016)

4. Registration of the practice of folk beliefs in Vietnam

- Folk belief activities of a folk religious establishment shall be subject to registration, except ancestral houses.

- The representative(s) or the management of a folk religious establishment shall be responsible for applying in writing to the People’s Committee of the commune where such establishment is located for registration in at least 30 days prior to the date that the establishment commences its folk belief activities, except for the circumstance defined in Article 14 herein.

The application shall specify the name of the folk religious establishment, folk belief activities, contents, scope, time and locations of such activities.

People’s Committee of the commune shall be responsible for reverting in writing in 15 days upon receiving the valid application. If such application is rejected, reason(s) shall be notified.

- The representative(s) or the management of the folk religious establishment shall be responsible for applying for additional registration of the folk belief activities not indicated in the registered list pursuant to Section 2 of this Article in at least 20 days prior to the occurrence of such activities.

(Article 12 of the Law on religion and folk belief 2016)

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