"When I return to America, I will be an ambassador for Vietnam"

Franklin Graham is an internationally influential Christian evangelist whose work spans religious outreach and humanitarian assistance.

Born in 1952 in Asheville, North Carolina, Graham is the fourth of five children of the late world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham (1918-2018). His father founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), a nonprofit Christian organization now headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Franklin Graham became the association's chief executive officer in 2000 and its president in 2001.

He also leads Samaritan's Purse International Relief, an independent Christian humanitarian organization operating in countries around the world.

Following in his father's footsteps, Graham embarked on his first evangelistic mission in 1989. Since then, he has organized more than 345 large-scale outdoor evangelistic events across 56 countries, including 20 in Asia.

In Vietnam alone, Graham has served as the principal speaker at three major Protestant evangelistic gatherings.

His first visit came in December 2017, when he attended the "Love Hanoi" program at the Quan Ngua Sports Palace in the Vietnamese capital. According to documents from Vietnam's state religious affairs authorities, the two-day event attracted approximately 22,000 attendees from Hanoi and other northern provinces and cities.

In March 2023, Graham returned for the "Spring of Love" Christian music and evangelistic program in Ho Chi Minh City, which drew around 19,000 participants. He made another appearance in December 2024 as the principal speaker at the "Season of Love" event at Can Tho Stadium in southern Vietnam, attended by approximately 15,000 people.

The three gatherings in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho provided opportunities for Vietnam's Protestant communities to practice their faith while strengthening exchanges and connections between BGEA and domestic Protestant organizations.

Beyond the religious events, Graham's visits have included meetings and discussions with Vietnamese government leaders and officials from the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

During a meeting with government leaders in March 2023, Graham spoke warmly of his impressions of Vietnam and its people.

As discussions turned to religious diversity and freedom of religion in Vietnam, he said: "When I return to America, I will be an ambassador for you. I will be very happy to share with political leaders and the American people the religious freedom I have experienced in Vietnam."

He was particularly touched to receive a Bible translated into one of the ethnic minority languages spoken in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

In December 2024, Graham met with Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh and reflected on the changes he had witnessed during successive visits to Vietnam.

He expressed admiration for the country's wide-ranging socioeconomic achievements, particularly its progress in poverty reduction, social welfare and support for vulnerable communities.

Graham reaffirmed his commitment to serving as an "ambassador" for Vietnam by promoting the image of a welcoming, friendly country where freedom of belief and religion is respected. He said he would continue sharing those impressions with the US government, the American public and international friends.

Such encounters have opened additional channels of communication between religious communities in the two countries, helping deepen mutual understanding and build trust.

Through his personal observations, Graham has recognized changes in Vietnam's religious life and policies concerning freedom of belief and religion.

He has shared what he witnessed with American officials, organizations and members of the public, speaking positively about religious freedom in Vietnam and contributing to greater understanding between the two nations.

Humanitarian efforts bring Vietnamese and Americans closer

Another significant aspect of Graham's engagement with Vietnam is the humanitarian work carried out by Samaritan's Purse.

The organization was founded in 1970 by Bob Pierce to assist communities affected by war, natural disasters, disease and poverty.

Graham met Pierce in 1973 and began accompanying him on visits to humanitarian relief projects in Asia and other regions.

Following Pierce's death in 1978, Graham assumed a leadership role and became president of Samaritan's Purse in 1979.

Under his leadership, the organization expanded its international operations, implementing emergency relief programs, providing medical assistance, improving access to clean water, supporting livelihoods and assisting vulnerable populations.

Samaritan's Purse began operating in Vietnam in 1996. Over nearly three decades, it has implemented numerous community assistance programs focusing on clean water, rural sanitation, maternal and child healthcare, education, human trafficking prevention and livelihood development.

Many projects have targeted rural and mountainous communities, where residents continue to face difficulties accessing healthcare, education and essential services.

In the clean water sector, Samaritan's Purse has helped schools in Vietnam's northern mountainous region install water filtration systems, giving students and teachers safer water for everyday use.

At a school in Yen Bai province, the organization installed two reverse-osmosis water filtration systems serving nearly 1,000 students.

The project has helped improve learning and living conditions while reducing the risk of illnesses associated with unsafe water.

Samaritan's Purse has also implemented maternal and child healthcare programs, supported disadvantaged children and children with disabilities, provided life-skills training and worked to prevent human trafficking.

One of its most notable recent contributions came in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, which struck northern Vietnam in September 2024.

As the storm caused widespread destruction across northern provinces, particularly in mountainous areas, Samaritan's Purse arranged two flights carrying humanitarian supplies from the United States to Vietnam.

The shipments included water filtration equipment, solar-powered lights, blankets, kitchen supplies and other essential items for families affected by flooding and landslides.

According to information released by Samaritan's Purse in October 2024, a DC-8 cargo aircraft and a Boeing 757 delivered more than 36 tonnes of relief supplies to Vietnam.

Working with local partners, the organization distributed the supplies to some of the hardest-hit communities in the northern mountainous provinces.

According to consolidated figures from Vietnam's Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, Samaritan's Purse disbursed approximately US$10.6 million for its activities in Vietnam between 2020 and 2025.

During his meeting with Graham in December 2024, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh acknowledged and praised the organization's contributions, particularly its clean water and rural sanitation projects and assistance to disadvantaged communities.

These humanitarian initiatives demonstrate how cooperation can extend beyond immediate improvements in people's living conditions to create meaningful connections between American social and religious organizations and local communities in Vietnam.

For Graham, his repeated visits and involvement in humanitarian activities have provided opportunities to gain firsthand insight into Vietnamese people's lives, witness the country's transformation and maintain relationships with government agencies and religious organizations.

As Vietnam-US relations continue to develop, religious exchanges and humanitarian cooperation of this kind illustrate the importance of people-to-people diplomacy in fostering mutual understanding, building trust and strengthening friendship between the two nations.

Thai An - Trong Tu