Vietnam is establishing new rules for religion, and they may help the government to further undermine religious worship and expression. What is being called "Decree 92" will go into effect January 1.
Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs says some Buddhist and Christian leaders believe their rights will deteriorate because Vietnam intends to pattern itself after the Chinese model.
"Now we know that China is a huge persecutor of Christians," explains Nettleton. "They do not allow religious freedom. They want all of the churches to register with the government and come under government control -- so that's obviously a concern for Christians in Vietnam."
Compliance by underground churches could, however, prove disastrous, explains Nettleton.
"One of the things that this law supposedly provides is a way for all religious organizations to register with the government -- register their activities, register their places of worship, register the leaders who are in charge of those groups," he says.
"But that obviously presents the possibility that they could be further persecuted because the government will know exactly who they are and what they're doing and where they are meeting."
In order to be recognized by the Vietnam government, a religious group has to prove that it has operated for the past 20 years without violating the law. By definition, underground churches have been violating the law -- so they would not qualify for recognition.
Vietnam has made some recognizable improvements in terms of religious freedom in the past decade, so Nettleton finds it difficult to understand the motivation behind the new rules.