Franklin Graham meets with top Vietnamese gov't official who vows to 'promote religious freedom'

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 16, 2026

In a meeting with evangelist Franklin Graham, a top Vietnamese government official committed to promoting religious freedom in his country amid a reported improvement in the climate for Christians in the communist nation.

In a statement Thursday, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) announced that Graham, its CEO and son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, met this week in North Carolina with Nguyen Dinh Khang, Vietnam’s minister of ethnic and religious affairs and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, as well as other high-ranking Vietnamese officials and three Vietnamese church leaders.

“In the years to come, the government of Vietnam, at all levels of administration, is committed to promote religious freedom," Khang was quoted as saying.

“In coming alongside citizens, we are trying to ensure that religious freedom is protected by our laws and to enhance the effectiveness of grassroots level policy implementation."

According to the BGEA announcement, Khang described "open channels" established by the government in Vietnam allowing for religious minorities concerned about restrictions on their freedoms can share "ideas, recommendations, and needs."

The Vietnamese delegation visited BGEA’s headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the group stopped in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to see firsthand the relief work of Samaritan’s Purse, an Evangelical aid charity Graham also heads. The charity has worked in Vietnam for over three decades to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief to hundreds of thousands of people.

Graham responded to Khang’s pledge by reflecting on the progress Vietnam has made in the half-century since the end of the Vietnam War.

“I know relations with churches were difficult in the early days, but Vietnam has made great strides in improving religious freedom in recent years and I’m thankful we can discuss the continued importance of that today,” he said.

One of the Vietnamese church leaders who traveled to North Carolina this week, Pastor Nguyen Hu’u Mac of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam Northern, also struck an optimistic note.

“We are very happy because […] the relationship between the Vietnamese government and the leaders of different nations is getting better," he said. 

Mac said there are more than 1,400 churches and about 220,000 Christians in Vietnam. BGEA estimates that Evangelical Christians make up between 1% and 2% of Vietnam’s population.

Over the past decade, Graham has had several opportunities to share the Gospel in Vietnam. He visited Hanoi in 2017, Ho Chi Minh City in 2023 and Can Tho in 2024. Graham is scheduled to return in March 2027 to headline the Season of Love Festival in Hanoi.

“We appreciate the relationship that we have, we value it, and we are looking forward to coming back,” Graham said. As the delegation’s two-day visit to North Carolina wrapped up, Khang gave Graham a gift to show the appreciation was mutual: a painting of a rice harvest in Vietnam.

“I hope that your ministry and our friendship will lead to a great harvest,” Khang told Graham as he presented the gift.

Although the delegation’s time in North Carolina ended Wednesday, BGEA said the delegation's U.S. trip continues with “meetings with U.S. government officials and religious freedom stakeholders in Washington, D.C., and Texas to discuss the steps that the Vietnamese government is taking to give greater freedom to religious minorities.”

While Khang sought to portray religious freedom as a priority for the Vietnamese government, concerns about religious persecution in the country persist.

This year, the Vietnamese government sentenced a pastor to seven and a half years in prison for engaging in “unregistered” religious activities. The government also announced earlier this year that it had taken action against 119 Christians it accused of advocating for separatism.

The 2026 Global Christian Relief Red List ranked Vietnam fourth in the number of Christians arrested for their faith. Only China, Russia and Iran detained more Christians.

In a December 2024 report, global persecution watchdog Open Doors noted that while there is "some relative freedom for historical Christian communities" in Vietnam, the introduction of Decrees No. 95 and Directive 24 in 2024 drew concern "about the government's tightening control over religious groups."

"These regulations, along with the creation of the 'neighborhood grassroots security force' in late 2023, could signal increased surveillance of religious activities, especially among non-traditional Protestants and ethnic minority Christian communities," the report reads. "These groups, often targeted by local authorities, may face greater restrictions on their religious expression, both in private and public spaces."