Religion and Addiction Recovery in Vietnam: An Exploratory Study of Two Faith-Based Institutions

This article examines the role of faith-based institutions in drug rehabilitation and recovery in Vietnam, focusing on one Catholic center and one Protestant community-run center. Drawing on qualitative interviews with leaders, staff, and current and former residents, as well as institutional records, the study explores how religious frameworks of moral transformation, communal belonging, and spiritual discipline shape recovery experiences. The article situates faith-based rehabilitation alongside state-run compulsory treatment centers to highlight differing institutional logics shaping recovery experiences, without implying outcome comparability. It also places the Vietnamese case in dialogue with international practices in the United States, the Philippines, and Thailand. The findings contribute to broader debates on the role of religion in public life in contemporary Vietnam, highlighting the need for more explicit legal recognition and cooperative state–faith partnerships in community-based recovery.