Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Vietnam on the imprisonment and harassment of independent Hoa Hao and Khmer Krom Buddhists; and what steps he is taking to support freedom of religion or belief for Buddhist communities operating outside state-approved religious organisations.

The UK regularly raises freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) with the Vietnamese authorities, including through the UK Special Envoy for FoRB. Vietnam is a focus country under the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's FoRB Strategy, launched in July 2025. More broadly, we continue to highlight FoRB violations and abuses on the international stage, through our position at the UN and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB. We will raise FoRB and wider human rights issues at the UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue, and during the FoRB envoy's visit to Vietnam, in November.