The Holy See and Vietnam have reached an important agreement at a diplomatic level. They have announced that in the future the pontifical representative in the Asian country will become permanent.
This was the outcome of the seventh meeting of the joint working group established by both sides. The meetings began in October 2016.
The Holy See says the Vietnamese government assures that it is working hard to ensure religious freedom is respected in the country. The government have also asked that Catholics respect the country's laws in an exemplary manner.
In 1975, after the Vietnam War, the communist regime violent repressed Christians throughout the country. It has taken decades to restore diplomatic relations. In 2007, for the first time, a representative of the Vietnamese government met with the pope. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed the first non-residencial pontifical delegate in the Asian country after more than 35 years without official dialogue.
