Vietnam and the Vatican continue to strengthen relations through dialogue and mutual respect, creating favorable conditions for Vietnam's Catholic community to practice their faith while contributing to national development.
Editor's note: On July 2, the beatification ceremony for Father Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep will take place at the Tac Say Pilgrimage Center in Ca Mau Province. Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Pope's special envoy, will preside over the ceremony. The event holds special significance for Vietnam's Catholic community.
On this occasion, VietNamNet spoke with Nguyen Tien Trong, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs under the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, about Vietnam's relations with the Holy See and the religious life of the country's Catholic community.
Nguyen Tien Trong, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs).
In recent years, Vietnam–Vatican relations have seen many positive developments. How do you assess the significance of the gradual upgrading and expansion of bilateral ties based on dialogue, mutual respect and understanding?
Nguyen Tien Trong: The most notable aspect of the relationship is not a single agreement, but the gradual process of building trust through regular dialogue, frank exchanges and mutual respect.
Several milestones illustrate this progress.
Between 1990 and 2008, Vietnam and the Holy See held 17 meetings and exchanges concerning Catholic-related issues. During this period, Vietnam's Government Committee for Religious Affairs led discussions with Vatican representatives, while the Vietnamese delegation was headed by a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 2009, Vietnam and the Vatican established the Vietnam–Holy See Joint Working Group, co-chaired by deputy foreign ministers from both sides. The first meeting took place in February 2009, and by September 2025, the two sides had held 12 rounds of negotiations.
In 2011, Vietnam approved the Vatican's proposal to appoint Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, as the Holy See's non-resident representative to Vietnam. On September 13, 2017, Archbishop Girelli was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.
In August 2018, the Vatican appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski, then Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe, as the Holy See's new non-resident representative to Vietnam, succeeding Archbishop Girelli.
On July 27, 2023, Vietnam and the Vatican agreed on regulations governing the Permanent Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam. On December 23, 2023, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski as the Holy See's Permanent Representative to Vietnam, with the representative office established at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Hanoi.
It can be said that the upgrading of relations, including the agreement on the operational framework for the Permanent Representative and the Permanent Representative Office of the Holy See in Vietnam, reflects the progress achieved through 12 rounds of negotiations and numerous high-level exchanges. It demonstrates both sides' commitment to dialogue, goodwill, mutual respect and understanding, while ensuring that the relationship develops according to an appropriate roadmap consistent with Vietnamese law and the realities of bilateral relations.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man presents a letter from Party General Secretary and President To Lam to Pope Leo XIV during their audience at the Vatican on April 11, 2026. Photo: Pham Thang.
It also reflects Vietnam's consistent foreign policy of respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and contributing to peace, cooperation and development worldwide. At the same time, it responds to the aspirations of Catholic clergy and believers in Vietnam, enhances mutual understanding between Vietnam and the global Catholic community, and encourages the Holy See's constructive engagement on issues of concern to Vietnam.
Vietnam–Vatican relations today can be viewed not only from a state-to-state diplomatic perspective but also as a channel of people-to-people diplomacy through religion, particularly through the lives of Vietnam's Catholic community. Could you elaborate on this aspect?
Nguyen Tien Trong: The Party and the State have consistently attached great importance to relations with the Vatican, while recognizing Vietnam's Catholic community as an integral part of the nation's great unity. Vietnam has created favorable conditions for Catholic organizations and individuals to conduct international exchanges in accordance with the law and with respect for national independence and sovereignty, enabling them to participate in major religious forums, conferences and events.
On June 30, 2026, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, arrived in Vietnam as the Pope's special envoy to preside over the beatification Mass for Father Truong Buu Diep. Photo: Archdiocese of Hanoi.
Examples include participation in the Synod of Bishops, Ad Limina visits to the Pope and the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, meetings of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, and World Youth Day. Vietnamese Catholics have also engaged in academic and pastoral activities at the Vatican, overseas seminaries, dioceses and religious orders. At the same time, the Catholic Church in Vietnam has welcomed clergy and religious representatives from the Holy See and many other countries to visit and conduct religious activities in Vietnam.
Through these activities, Vietnam's Catholic community has helped communicate the Party's and the State's policies on religious freedom, enabling international partners to gain a clearer understanding of religious life in Vietnam. They have also introduced Vietnamese cultural identity to the Vatican and Catholic communities abroad, contributed to preserving the Vietnamese language among overseas communities, and strengthened people-to-people diplomacy through religious engagement.
In addition, authorities at all levels have facilitated visits by overseas Vietnamese clergy and Catholics returning to their homeland to participate in religious, economic and social activities. Many have contributed through teaching and training at seminaries, leading spiritual retreats in dioceses and religious orders, or applying to restore Vietnamese nationality so they can return permanently and contribute to the country's development.
How have these positive developments in Vietnam–Vatican relations affected the religious life of Vietnam's Catholic community and strengthened the role of Catholics within the national unity bloc?
Nguyen Tien Trong: The Party and the State's policy is to promote the positive role of all religions, including Catholicism, in strengthening national solidarity while creating favorable conditions for Catholics to live out the principle of being both good citizens and faithful believers, actively participating in patriotic movements and socio-economic development.
To prepare for the event, Ca Mau Province reviewed 146 accommodation facilities offering more than 4,600 rooms and identified more than 300 additional hotels and guesthouses in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Gia Rai Ward capable of serving visitors. On June 30, parishes at Tac Say Church were observing a nine-day novena in preparation for the July 2 ceremony. Photo: Tao Dat.
Accordingly, the role of Catholic clergy and religious leaders has been encouraged in promoting awareness among parishioners of the Party's policies and the State's laws, while embracing the pastoral mission of "Living the Gospel in the heart of the nation to serve the happiness of the people."
At the same time, the State encourages Catholic organizations and individuals to contribute resources in healthcare, education and social welfare, while ensuring freedom of belief and religion so that Catholics can continue contributing their knowledge and efforts to national development and defense.
In practice, Vietnam's Catholic community has made significant contributions to strengthening this relationship. The Catholic Church has consistently worked alongside authorities at all levels in national development while actively participating in healthcare, education, charitable and humanitarian activities, and support for disadvantaged communities.
These efforts have helped build a positive image of the Catholic Church in Vietnam among the public. Catholics have also played an active role in economic development, rural modernization, maintaining public security, protecting the environment, preventing social problems, and strengthening national and interfaith solidarity.
For Vietnam, upgrading relations with the Holy See reflects not only the Party's and the State's sound foreign policy but also recognition of the Vatican's goodwill and constructive guidance regarding the Catholic Church in Vietnam throughout the negotiation process. It further demonstrates the Party's and the State's attention to the Catholic community, reinforces the confidence of clergy and believers in national policies, and creates more favorable conditions for Catholic clergy, religious and faithful to carry out their religious activities in accordance with the law while working alongside authorities at all levels to build the country in its new era of development.
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