Vietnam - Vatican City aims to elevate relations

Sharing with the Pope about the results of his visit to the Archdiocese of Hanoi on April 5, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man happily noted that in recent years, relations between Vietnam and the Holy See have made important and substantial progress: from meetings between senior leaders of the two sides to the establishment of the Holy See's Resident Representative Office in Vietnam, especially the good development in the religious life of the Catholic community in Vietnam as well as the maintenance of effective exchange and operation mechanisms of the Joint Working Group.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man believes that the upcoming 13th Meeting of the Joint Working Group will contribute to the process of upgrading to full diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Holy See.

The National Assembly Chairwoman wished the Pope and the Holy See to continue to pay attention to and further strengthen trust and mutual understanding, towards raising the Vietnam - Holy See relationship to a new stage of development, for the benefit of the people, for peace and common prosperity of humanity.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that the Party and State of Vietnam always create all conditions for Catholic compatriots to live a good life, a beautiful religion, and well implement the direction of "accompanying the nation, attached to the country", and shared that in the election of National Assembly deputies of the 16th term and People's Council deputies at all levels for the 2026-2031 term, many dignitaries, monks, and Catholic believers continued to be trusted and elected.

In addition, the National Assembly of Vietnam is constantly improving the legal system, creating favorable conditions for religions, including Catholics, to operate and develop in accordance with the Constitution and laws.

Pope Leo XIV highly appreciated the visit of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, especially 5 days after being elected by the National Assembly, considering this an important milestone for the two sides to continue to strengthen understanding.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to Vietnamese functional agencies for creating conditions and actively supporting the Resident Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam to operate stably and effectively.

On the same day, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with the Prime Minister of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

At the meeting, the National Assembly Chairwoman highly appreciated the contacts and exchanges, especially the high-level meetings between the two sides in the past time, which have contributed to strengthening trust and creating a foundation for the long-term development of relations between Vietnam and the Holy See.

The National Assembly Chairwoman requested the Holy See to encourage the Catholic Church of Vietnam to well implement the direction of "Respecting God, Loving the country", accompanying the nation to contribute to the cause of building and developing the country.

On this occasion, on behalf of the Party and State of Vietnam, the National Assembly Chairwoman respectfully conveyed the greetings and invitation to visit Vietnam from the Vietnamese Leaders to the Prime Minister of the Vatican.

Appreciating Vietnam's development achievements and open religious policy, Prime Minister Pietro Parolin recalled Pope Francis' letter to the Catholic Community of Vietnam, in which he emphasized that a good Catholic is a good citizen; and expressed his impression of the Vietnamese Party and State always paying attention to vulnerable and vulnerable people.

Prime Minister Pietro Parolin also highly appreciated the increasingly close relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican and on that important foundation, the relationship between the two sides will continue to maintain positive development momentum, towards new steps forward in the future.

Prime Minister Pietro Parolin affirmed his desire to make an official visit to Vietnam soon to directly witness the changes and strong development of the country as well as the vibrant life of the Catholic community here.

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