A meeting of the Viet Nam – Holy See Joint Working Group took place in Hanoi on 21-22 April 2022. H.E. Mr. Ha Kim Ngoc, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of the Vietnamese delegation, and the Undersecretary for the Relations with States, Mgr. Mirosław Wachowski, Head of the delegation of the Holy See, co-chaired the Session.

The two delegations had an in-depth discussion on Viet Nam - Holy See relations, including issues concerning the Catholic Church in Viet Nam. Both parties noted that relations between Viet Nam and the Holy See have recently developed and that, notwithstanding the COVID-19 containment measures, a frequent and cordial exchange of ideas has always occurred.

The two parties agreed that relations between Viet Nam and the Holy See should be maintained on mutually agreed-upon principles and fruitful dialogue, with the objective of consolidating reciprocal trust and strengthening relations in the common interest of the two parties and the Vietnamese Catholic community.

The two delegations agreed upon issues relevant to raising, in the near future, the level of relations between Viet Nam and the Holy See from a non-resident to a Resident Pontifical Representative and agreed on future steps to be undertaken to establish an office of the Resident Pontifical Representative in Hanoi.

The Holy See follows with interest the Catholic community's deep and vibrant life in the country and encourages the Catholic Church in Viet Nam to contribute to the country's common good and prosperity, as the Catholic community demonstrated concretely during the pandemic's most critical periods by volunteering in hospitals and assisting the needy.

The meeting took place in a cordial and mutually respectful atmosphere.

Additionally, the two parties decided to hold the 10th Joint Working Group Meeting between Viet Nam and the Holy See in the Vatican. The meeting's date will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.

On this occasion, the Holy See delegation also paid a courtesy call to H.E. Mr. Phan Binh Minh, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister. The delegation also visited some of the country’s authorities and will meet with members of the Vietnamese Episcopal Conference at their plenary meeting in Thai Binh in the coming days.