Bush Praises Increased Religious Freedom

US President George W. Bush lauded the steps taken to increase religious freedom in Vietnam after meeting Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Washington on June 24. Curbs on religious practice in the nominally atheist state have been a prolonged issue of concern for the US Congress and a stumbling stone for a further improvement of relations between Hanoi and Washington. Dung's visit to Washington was followed by an upgrade of USAID's presence in Vietnam to a full country mission, allowing the government agency to expand its development programmes in Vietnam, which have so far been centred on reducing the

To read the full article, please choose one of the following options: