It's the Buddhists, back in Vietnam. They have a checkered history in that country...they were hounded and persecuted by the Diem government in the l960s. The inimitable Madame Nhu offered to send matches and mustard when they began a campaign of self-immolation in protest of Diem and his brother, Mr. Secret Police.
They didn't fare well in Communist Vietnam, either, because that regime was officially atheist. Now, however, things are changing, and top Buddhist leaders have returned to give public talks in some of the major cities. Embracing Buddhism has even become something of a status symbol among young people there, in the way that wearing a Christian cross set people apart in early post-Communist Russia.
Who knows where this will lead, but it is a good sign. Repressive governments are threatened by people being drawn to religious groups, and the nominally Communist government in Vietnam is looking a lot less repressive now.
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Apparently there's a religious revival occurring in China as well. From what I've heard,Christianity is growing rapidly in some parts of China.
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