Human rights as a larger loyalty: the evolution of religious freedom in Vietnam

This article argues that the forces of modernization and globalization in Vietnam are changing the Vietnamese government s inward-looking, relativistic views about human rights into cosmopolitan, universal perspectives. As Vietnam modernizes and becomes more globally integrated, party leaders are compelled to expand their loyalties beyond the ethnic Kinh majority and accept a multiethnic state with diverse forms of religious worship. In grappling with cross-cultural problems generated by modernity, party leaders are incrementally assuming a cosmopolitan outlook that treats all humans as belonging to a single community based on shared social responsibilities and moralities. The article further explores whether cosmopolitanism is a precursor to universal, legally protected rights to religious freedom in Vietnam. This investigation has implications for China and other East Asian countries, such as Burma and North Korea, where the state actively manages religious worship.