DEDICATION

To all Christians in Vietnam,
“Your labour is not in vain”

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15: 58
(NASB)


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My deepest appreciations and gratitudes to:
My master degree thesis supervisor, Đỗ Quang Hưng of Vietnam National
University - Social Science Humanities, Hanoi, for your guidance, wisdom and
knowledge that gave me the courage to fulfil my dream to accomplished this thesis.

The Director of Institute, Vice-Director of Institute and Staff of Institute of
Vietnamese Studies and Development Science (IVIDES) of Vietnam National
University (VNU), Hanoi, for having faith in me, allowed me to study the Master
Degree in Vietnamese Studies programme inspite of my academic discipline
challenges.

Senior Pastor, Eldership Board and Crossfields Missions of DUMC - Dream Centre,
Malaysia, who have faith and believe in who I am.

David Steven, for your generosity and great assistance in sharing your boundiful
resources, in order to make this master degree thesis from a dream to a reality.

Gerry Keener, USA, your humbleness and great assistance in sharing your



DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP
I, Annette Wong Ai Khim (Vương Tâm), declares that this master degree thesis
title, “A Few Significant Protestant Christian Denominations Officially
Recognised By The Vietnamese Government In The Approach Through SocioHistory From 2007 To Present,” and the work presented in it are my own. I
confirm that:


Where the work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for the master
degree with the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science
(IVIDES) of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.



Where I have quoted from work of others, the resources are always given with
the exceptions and statements of such quotations; this master degree thesis is
entirely my own effort of research work and writings.



Where the resources and materials I received, researched, collected and used
including the Internet, have been fully identified, cited and referenced
accordingly as required of me.

Hanoi, Date _____, Month ______, Year 2016

_______________________
Annette Wong Ai Khim
(Vương Tâm)

3. The Objective And Scope of The Research ........................................................5
4. The Research Methods ........................................................................................6
5. The Structure of The Thesis ................................................................................7

Chapter 1 THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY ...............................................9
1.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................9
1.1.1. An Understanding of A Triune God ....................................................11
1.1.2. A Protestant Christian In Relations With His Triune God ..................16
1.1.2.1. The Definition of “Man” (Humankind in relations to God) .........16
1.1.2.2. The Creation of Man (God’s purpose for Man) ............................20
1.2. The Views Between Two Major Religion / Philosophy And Protestant
Christianity In Vietnam .....................................................................................22
1.2.1. The Views From An Atheist ................................................................24
1.2.2. The Views From Tam Giao (Triple Teachings) ..................................25
1.2.3. The Views of Tam Giao and Protestant Christianity ...........................28


Chapter

2:

THE

HISTORY

MOVEMENT

OF

PROTESTANT

...........................................................................................................42
2.2. Three Other Significant Protestant Denominations In Vietnam .................43
2.2.1. Seventh-day Adventist Church of Vietnam (SDA VN) ....................44
2.2.1.1. The Socio-History of the Church Movement ...............................44
2.2.1.2.

The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal

Based ..........................................................................................................57
2.2.2

Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC) .................................................61

2.2.2.1. The Socio-History of the Church Movement ................................61
2.2.2.2. The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal Based
....................................................................................................................77
2.2.3

Vietnam Baptist Convention (VBC – Grace Southern Baptist) ........81

2.2.3.1. The Socio-History of the Church Movement ...............................81
2.2.3.2. The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal Based
....................................................................................................................97
Chapter 3: THE CURRENT CHALLENGES FACING BY THREE
SIGNIFICANT PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS, WHICH HAVE BEEN
OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED BY THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT
COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS (GCRA) ....................................103
3.1. Vietnamese Traditional Culture vs. Protestant Christianity .....................105
3.2. Freedom of Rights to Believe and Rights to Practice ..............................108


GBC
HN
HCMC
IMB
IGE
MCC
MEI
NAVMF
NLF
R&ROL
SAWS
SBC
SDA VN
VBC (Grace - Southern
Baptist)
VMC
VNCS

Meaning:
Adventist Development and Relief Agency
Baptist Faith and Message
Brigham Young University
Christian Missions Alliance
Church World Services
Christian Youth for Social Services
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Northern Region)
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Southern Region)
Eastern Mennonite Missions
Grace Baptist Church
Hanoi

NIV
RSVB

Meaning:
American Standard Version
New American Standard Bible
New International Version
Revised Standard Version Bible


LIST OF PIE CHART

Figure No:
Figure 1.1

Description:
The Main Religion In Vietnam (Year 2014)

Page:
23


LIST OF PDF DOCUMENTS

As part of my master degree thesis at Institute of Vietnamese Studies and
Development Science (IVIDES) of Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi, I
have requested and received these PDF documents with the permission of the
authorised persons.

Figure No:

I, originally take the following photographs except for Figure 2.9, which is taken
from the Internet. The following photographs are used in the thesis:

Figure No:
Figure 2.1

Description:
Trần Thanh Truyện, the Executive General
Secretary of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of
Vietnam, HCMC.

Page:
55

(Trần Thanh Truyện is currently the Acting President of
the denomination effective end of 2015)

Figure 2.3

Figure 2.4

Figure 2.5
Figure 2.7

Figure 2.8

Figure 2.9

Figure 2.10



60

76
80

80

93

96

101


INTRODUCTION OF THE THESIS

Religion plays a vital role in Vietnam. Some Vietnamese people said
religion has got nothing to do with political stability and economic growth of the
country. I, somehow disagree with the statement because religion affects and
influences the lives of the ordinary people in many different levels, where it
provides people with religious ethical values; gives meaning to their worth of
existence and to the world they inhabiting; and gives them solace and hope for the
future. The period of 19th century in Vietnam, religion was capable to inspire the
Vietnamese people to built new communities that embodied their vision of the
perfect world in the most desolate places. Therefore, throughout the history in
Vietnam, religion served both to integrate the Vietnamese people into a cohesive
society and to reinforce its’ importance of embracing one’s religion, including
Protestant Christianity in Vietnam.
After more than a century of missionary work, today Protestant Christianity

(Reigmer 2011, 106).

1. The Rational Study of The Thesis Title
As a Methodist Protestant Christian myself, I chosed the subject of Religion
specifically Protestant Christianity, as part of my coursework of this Master Degree
thesis, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, and so my research thesis title is “A Few
Significant Protestant Christian Denominations Officially Recognised By The
Vietnamese Government In The Approach Through Socio-History From 2007 To
Present.” Hence, there are five reasons as why I chosed this title for my thesis:
Firstly, besides the prominent denomination ECVN (Evangelical Church of
Vietnam), I would like to create an awareness of other significant Protestant
Christian denominations that have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese
GCRA. These denominations are the intangible herritage in the history of Vietnam.
Secondly, it is to understand the background of the socio-history through
church movement specifically on the three significant Protestant Christian
denominations: Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, Vietnam Mennonite

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Church and Vietnam Baptist Church (As to reason out that they deserved to be
officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government). And along with brief
explanation of each denominationss basic theological and doctrinal based.
Thirdly, for the Vietnamese Government and those who do not know Jesus
Christ to create an awareness of understanding the definition of Protestant
Christianity actual meanings and the foundation of Christian doctrine. To
differentiate the uniqueness of the Protestant Christianity from other religions in
Vietnam, particularly the Roman Catholicism, as there are many who are ignorant
and / or still confuse in understanding the differences between these two religions
such as both are using the same word, “Christian.” Secondly, the theological and

of reading Christian materials in another language, namely, English language. In
addition to that, the national library that I have been a couple of times, hardly have
reference books on Protestant Christianity.
Secondly, it is also domestically challenge where the instability and
uncertainties due to foreign colonisation and war torn in the late 19th century have
lost the “period of time” in writing and conserving the account of the history of
Protestant Christianity in Vietnam. Besides the lack of scholars majoring in
Protestant Christianity, Vietnam depended much on foreign authors in writing the
accounts of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam, yet not all denominations / sects,
who did “a more complete timeline” of their denominations’ roots and history
backgrounds. Some documented materials or published materials may have some
data errors, which in the result, it is time consuming, making extra effort to do more
research study, so that information is accurate and valid.
Thirdly, concerning internationally, there are many foreign authors
especially the foreign missionaries that have lived, pioneered and contributed
almost all their life in Vietnam, that they wrote the accounts of Protestant
Christianity according to their real life experiences while they were living in
Vietnam rather than writing the accounts using “third party” reliable resources. But
the accounts were written decades ago and so, what about the recent years of the
accounts, in example above the year 2000 till present day? Therefore, it is so

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important to write / conserve the timeline of each Protestant Christian denomination
/ sect for our future generation of Protestant Christians in Vietnam.
Personally, while doing research study for this thesis, I had to fly out of this
country for ten days, just to collect datas and search for documents relating to my
thesis title. It was not an easy task but I managed to get as much datas and
documents as I could to make this thesis a reality.

Ho Chi Minh City.

4. The Research Methods
The thesis is able to proceed and completed with the assistance of these
research methods:
Practical research: Practical Research which involves first hand research in
the form of face-to-face interviews with prepared questionnaires (Please view
Appendixes A and B); by exploring and observing through the years that I am living
in this country – exploring the language, culture and traditions and observing the
different religions of the Vietnamese community both city and village dwellers. It
does not only take one or two weeks, or even months to know Vietnamese culture
and traditions but it takes years to be able to comprehend them; and by connecting
with the Vietnamese people from the North, Central and South regions of the
country, interacting with them, to understand their perspective views on religion and
belief systems particularly Protestant Christianity.
Theoretical research: Theoretical Research that involves published works
of others, academic journals and articles written by others, surfing Internet for the
right resources in order for me to proceed and complete the thesis. I have gained
much knowledge from most of the authors who have some good insightful in the
subject of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam.
Interdisciplinary research: This thesis involves interdisciplinary research,
where it is not only just finding facts and datas on the subject of Protestant
Christianity in Vietnam, yet this thesis does not exclude in examining religious
culture and traditions, historical events, contemporary constitutional issues around
individual rights to embrace a religion / rights to practice a religion, freedom of
religion, day-to-day politics as well as political ideologies, sociological,

6



Appendixes after the References section towards the last few pages of the thesis.
The main content of the thesis includes an Introduction which introduces
the thesis research study, three chapters that comprises of:
Chapter 1: The Protestant Christianity has two main sections: Introduction
that introduces an understanding of a Triune God and the Protestant Christian in
relations with his Triune God. The second section is to explain the views between
two major religion / philosophy and Protestant Christianity in Vietnam, where the
views from an atheist, the views from Tam Giao (Triple teachings - Mahayana
Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism), and the views from Tam Giao and Protestant
Christianity are elaborated and explained in simplified form.
Chapter 2: The History Movement of Protestant Christianity In Vietnam
Beginning From 1911 To Present, emphasising on the first denomination, CMA
(Now, ECVN), and three other significant Protestant Christian denomnations that
have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government Committee For
Religious Affairs (GCRA), which have two main sections. The first section is to
introduce the official beginning of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam from 1911 to

7


present through Christian Missions Alliance (CMA), currently known as ECVN
(Northern and Southern Regions), in the areas of socio-history through church
movements and a brief history of the denomination and basic doctrinal based. The
second section is to do a research study on three other significant Protestant
Christian denominations in tbe areas of socio-history through church movements
and brief history of each denomination and basic doctrinal based such as SeventhDay Adventist Church of Vietnam, Vietnam Mennonite Church and Vietnam
Baptist Convention (Grace – Southern Baptist).
Chapter 3: The Current Challenges Facing By Three Significant Protestant
Christian Denominations, which have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese
Government Comhmittee For Religious Affairs (GCRA), this chapter has three

“unconciously”

or

“subconciously” had drown humans into a deep sense of “naivity” or “almost
infinity” from knowing the existence of God. Many do not understand or know
exactly what is Protestant Christianity. As a Methodist Prostestant Christian – Tin
Hữu Giám Lý1, allow me to explain the origin existence of Protestant Christianity
and the fact of the existence of God later.
What is Protestant Christianity? Protestant Christianity or Protestantism, the
word derives from Protestatio of the pro-reform representatives at the Diet of
Speier in the 16th century Reformation against the Roman Catholic practices, where
most modern Protestant denominations can trace their heritage to one of the major
movements that sprung up in the 16th century. The origin of Protestantism lies in
the teachings and actions mainly from Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and John
Calvin, and also other leaders of the Radical Reformation. Protestantism is less a
denomination than a general branch of Christianity, along with Roman Catholicism
and Eastern Orthodoxy, encompassing numerous denominations and a wide
theological spectrum ranging from Conservative Theology to Liberal Theology.
Lutheranism is rooted in the teachings of the German Reformer, Martin
Luther. Presbyterians are indebted to John Calvin and Reformed theology, as well
as to John Knox and the Church of Scotland. Anglicans and Episcopalians trace
their heritage to the Church of England that resulted from King Henry VIII’s break
from the authority of Rome. Evangelicalism (and to a slightly lesser degree,

1

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of the existence of God, he has no reference point for correctly understanding
himself or the world around him. Nothing can be received or known of God unless
one believes in His existence through faith. In Hebrews 11: 14 explains plainly that
it is the proof of the reality of things not seen. God as a Spiritual Being is invisible
to the human eye, but it is through faith in Him, that His existence is substantiated
to Protestant Christians.
Therefore, in order to have a better understanding of the existence of God,
there are two important elements, which Protestant Christians need to know: God
exists as three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), also called as Triune God (Ba
Ngôi5), yet He is One God. It will be explained in the section of “An Understanding
of A Triune God.” Secondly, a Protestant Christian in relations with his Triune God
is also an important element. This section explained a divine personal relationship
between him and his Triune God.

1.1.1. An Understanding of A Triune God
The doctrine of Trinity or Triune God is one of the most important
doctrines of the Protestant Christian faith. In studying and understand the Bible’s
teachings on the Trinity will give us a great insight into question that is at the centre
of all in seeking after God: “What is God like in Himself?” This part will give us an
understanding that in Himself, in His very being, God exists in the persons of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet, He is One God. The doctrine of the Trinity is
progressively revealed in the Bible. The Bible is divided into two parts: Old
Testament and New Testament. Therefore, explanation and scriptural basis are
found from these two parts in the Bible:


from the first chapter of the Bible, the book of Genesis which we have an indication
of a plurality of persons in God Himself. This scripture, Genesis 1: 26, “Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness...” We have no evidence as how many persons,
and we have nothing approaching a complete doctrine of Trinity yet; this scripture
did imply that more than one person is involved. The same can be said of: Genesis
3: 22a, “And the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.”
Isaiah 6: 8, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 63: 10 says that
God’s people, “rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (NIV), apparently suggesting

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