were established. In 1957 the Baháʼí marriage certificate was recognized in Vietnam. In 1962 16 Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assemblies formed, and by 1963 there were more than 40 (and perhaps over 100) Spiritual Assemblies in South Vietnam. By 1963 there were also 6 local Baháʼí Centers or Haziratu'l-Quds, including in Saigon and Da Nang, and more lands had been bought for future centers. As the number of Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assemblies increased, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Vietnam was established in 1964. One report estimated over 20,000 Baháʼís nationwide by mid-1964, giving it the "third largest membership among the major religions" in South Vietnam at that time. Although the Baháʼí community held a generally positive relationship with the government of Ngô Đình Diệm, there is evidence of sporadic opposition at different levels during this period. One account describes government harassment of the Vietnamese Baháʼís around 1958–59, including the imprisonment of the entire Spiritual Assembly of Saigon. On 21 April 1963, Bui Van Luong, then Diệm's Interior Minister, formally prohibited Baháʼís from pursuing "any religious activities in Central Vietnam and the mountainous provinces." Seven months later, the Diệm government was overthrown, and the prohibition of Baháʼí activities was annulled. An account reported in a Swiss Baháʼí newsletter in February 1964 claimed that Baháʼís in Vietnam had been subject to harassment for over seven years leading up to Diệm's ouster. Post-Diệm era (1963–1975) As the Vietnam war continued, there were a number of American Baháʼís who were stationed in Vietnam, but following the Baháʼí teaching of the sacredness of all life and of obedience to one's government, Baháʼís would request to avoid being placed in a position to take the life of another, and thus American Baháʼís served as clerks and medics as non-combatants. By April 1973, 687 Local Spiritual Assemblies had been formed, and Baháʼís could be found in 1,685 localities. By 1975, there were an estimated 200,000 Baháʼís in South Vietnam, and the Baháʼí community and its institutions were still experiencing growth. Communist Vietnam (post-1975) In the chaos following the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, the Baháʼí community was severely limited logistically. Contact had already been lost with members in outlying areas, and the national convention scheduled for that time was cancelled; the National Spiritual Assembly was instead elected via mailed-in ballots. In a 1978 report, the Universal House of Justice noted that "In the