Vietnam permits 100,000 Bibles to be printed

HANOI, Vietnam — The government of Vietnam has approved the printing of 100,000 Bibles, an "unprecedented" development in a country known for years as one of the world’s worst persecutors of Christians.

"Our friends in Vietnam have written permission from religious affairs to print 100,000 Bibles that will be released to the unregistered church in Vietnam," David Hunt, president of WorldServe Ministries, told Mission Network News. "In spite of the difficulties over the years and the challenges in Vietnam still today, to some extent, we are seeing some of the greatest opportunities and openings in the history of the nation."

The Bibles are needed because of incredible growth, Hunt said. "The church has grown so explosively since 1975 from about 55,000 baptized believers to 1 million believers today and maybe close to 1.5 million believers. The church is growing by leaps and bounds."