Hanoi, Vietnam - The United States is considering dropping Vietnam this year from a list of countries it accuses of severely violating religious freedoms, the US ambassador said.
Michael Marine said communist Vietnam was making steady progress on human and religious rights, meaning the US administration may lift the label of Country of Particular Concern (CPC) it has applied for the past two years.
"We are exploring conditions under which CPC could be lifted," Marine told a media briefing. "I think that's a possibility for this year if certain things were to happen, but a decision hasn't been made."
Vietnam had freed some prisoners being held for their religious beliefs and allowed some previously banned churches to open, said Marine, adding that "the number of allegations of forced renunciation had dropped precipitously."
"I see nothing that would lead us to say that we're going backwards," said Marine, who recently visited the Central Highlands, home to Christian ethnic minorities. "We're seeing more progress, not less."
Marine acknowledged that striking Vietnam off the list of worst religious offenders may help convince some Congress members to support granting the country Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status this summer.
The PNTR label in turn is crucial for Vietnam's bid to join the World Trade Organisation this year, a move both countries hope will boost trade and American investment in the fast-growing Asian economy.
"Obviously the timing could coincide or be close to each other, so one decision to lift CPC would have some impact on Congress," Marine said.
But he added: "First and foremost it's going to be decided on the quality of the package for Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation."
The US State Department in its annual human rights report this month described Vietnam as an authoritarian state with an "unsatisfactory" human rights record, citing police abuses, media controls and unfair trials.
It also noted progress, such as a lack of credible reports of killings by security forces and greater freedom to worship.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung at the time rejected the report and said: "In Vietnam, religious suppression, ethnic discrimination, arrests over political differences or religious differences are non-existent."