Vietnam invites Pope Leo XIV on an unprecedented visit

Vietnam has issued a historic invitation to Pope Leo XIV, requesting an official visit to this country in Southeast Asia. The announcement was made by the Vietnamese state media, against the backdrop of a diplomatic rapprochement between the communist regime and the Vatican in recent years. The President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Tran Thanh Man, handed the official invitation to the pontiff, expressing the desire to intensify bilateral relations.

Although Vietnam and the Vatican have not had official diplomatic relations since 1975, a working group was established in 2009 to facilitate their normalization. In 2023, an agreement was reached on the presence of a resident papal representative in Vietnam. Vietnam has approximately six million Catholics, representing nearly 6% of the population, however, human rights organizations report restrictions on religious freedoms in the country.