HANOI (UCAN): Vietnam has extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV for a historic visit, according to state media, as diplomatic relations warm between the country and the Vatican.
On April 10, Tran Thanh Man, chairperson of the National Assembly, presented the Pope Leo with an “official invitation” from the general secretary of the Communist Party and president of Vietnam, To Lam.
The pope expressed his “sincere thanks,” and his “wish to visit the Southeast Asian nation in the near future”, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
He also said he hoped to “further deepen bilateral ties “, it added.
Hanoi and the Vatican have not had official diplomatic relations since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, but a joint working group has been meeting since 2009 in an effort to restore relations.
The two sides made a breakthrough in 2023 when they agreed to having a Resident Papal Representative.
Pope Francis, was also officially invited to visit Vietnam, and the Vatican’s de facto foreign minister travelled there in the spring of 2024.
During his meeting with Pope Leo, Tran said that the two sides would continue “working toward elevating bilateral relations to a new stage of development for the benefit of the people and for global peace and prosperity”, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
Vietnam has around six million Catholics, who make up roughly six per cent of its population.
