Chương III Luật Tín ngưỡng, tôn giáo 2016: Hoạt động tín ngưỡng

Chapter III

PRACTICE OF FOLK BELIEFS

Article 10. Principles of the practice of folk beliefs

1. Folk belief activities and folk belief festivals shall conserve and uphold the country's fine cultural and traditional values.

2. The organization of folk belief activities and folk belief festivals shall maintain security, order, social safety, thrift and environmental protection.

Article 11. Representatives and the managements of folk religious establishment

1. A folk religious establishment shall have a representative or the management that assumes liability to the law for the establishment’s activities.

2. The representative(s) or members of the management of a folk religious establishment shall be Vietnamese citizen(s) residing permanently in Vietnam, possess full capacity for civil acts and have prestige among the residential community.

3. People’s Committee of the commune where the folk religious establishment exists shall cooperate with the equivalent Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in organizing the residential community’s election of the representative(s) or members of the management. People’s Committee of the commune shall base on the result of election and Section 2 of this Article to validate in writing the representative(s) or members of the management of the folk religious establishment in 05 working days from the date of election.

4. The election of the representative(s) or the formation of the management of a folk religious establishment ranked as a historic - cultural vestige or scenic sight shall be subject to the legislation on cultural heritage.

5. The election of the representative(s) or the formation of the management of an ancestral house shall not be subject to Section 3 of this Article.

Article 12. Registration of the practice of folk beliefs

1. Folk belief activities of a folk religious establishment shall be subject to registration, except ancestral houses.

2. The representative(s) or the management of a folk religious establishment shall be responsible for applying in writing to the People’s Committee of the commune where such establishment is located for registration in at least 30 days prior to the date that the establishment commences its folk belief activities, except for the circumstance defined in Article 14 herein.

The application shall specify the name of the folk religious establishment, folk belief activities, contents, scope, time and locations of such activities.

People’s Committee of the commune shall be responsible for reverting in writing in 15 days upon receiving the valid application. If such application is rejected, reason(s) shall be notified.

3. The representative(s) or the management of the folk religious establishment shall be responsible for applying for additional registration of the folk belief activities not indicated in the registered list pursuant to Section 2 of this Article in at least 20 days prior to the occurrence of such activities.

Article 13. Organization of periodic folk belief festivals

1. The representative(s) or the management of a folk religious establishment shall be responsible for notifying competent government authorities in writing of its organization of a periodic folk belief festival in at least 20 days prior to the occurrence of such festival in the following manner:

a) People’s Committee of the commune where the festival occurs shall be responsible receiving notifications of folk belief festivals whose scope is limited to a commune, ward or town (hereinafter referred to as commune);

b) People’s Committee of the district where the festival occurs shall be responsible for receiving notifications of folk belief festivals that proceed in multiple communes in a district, township, provincial city or city within a centrally-affiliated city (referred to as district);

c) People’s Committee of the province where the festival occurs shall be responsible for receiving notifications of folk belief festivals that proceed in multiple districts in a province or centrally-affiliated city (referred to as province).

2. The notification shall specify the name, content, scope, time and location of the folk belief festival, the planned members of the organizing committee and the essential conditions to maintain order, social safety and environment protection during the festival.

3. The organization of periodic folk belief festivals in a folk religious establishment that is a ranked historic - cultural vestige or scenic sight shall be subject to the legislation on cultural heritage.

4. Competent government authorities defined in Section 1 of this Article shall be responsible for maintaining the adherence of folk belief festivals to the notifications.

Article 14. Organization of folk belief festivals that occur for the first time, resume or proceed periodically but undergo a revision

1. The representative(s) or the management of a folk religious establishment shall be responsible for applying in writing to the People’s Committee of the province where its folk belief festival takes place if such festival ensues for the first time, resumes after a period of inactivity or proceeds periodically but undergoes a revision to its scope, content, time or location.

The application shall specify the name, content or revised content, scope, time and location of the festival, the planned members of the organizing committee and the essential conditions for maintaining order, social safety and environment protection during the festival.

2. Provincial People’s Committee shall be responsible for reverting in writing in 30 days upon receiving the valid application. If such application is rejected, reason(s) shall be notified.

Article 15. Management and use of revenues from the organization of folk belief festivals

1. The representative(s) or the management of a folk religious establishment shall be responsible for managing and spending revenues from the festivals that it has organized in appropriate, public and transparent manner.

2. In no more than 20 days upon the end of a festival, the representative(s) or the management of the folk religious establishment shall be responsible for notifying competent government authorities in writing of the revenues and their uses pursuant to Section 1, Article 13 herein.