General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Photo: VOV

At the meeting, the two sides highly evaluated positive progress in relations between Vietnam and the Vatican, notably the Vatican’s Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Hanoi began operations in 2024.

The two leaders held that maintaining the exchange of high-level delegations and the meetings of the Vietnam-Vatican joint working group has played an important role in promoting mutual respect and understanding.

The top leader praised the messages, teachings and letters sent by the previous Popes and Pope Francis to the Catholic community in Vietnam, which highlighted the spirit of “good Christians and good citizens” and encouraged the Vietnam Catholic Church to contribute to the national life, for the interests of the whole nation in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation.

Parolin affirmed that the Vietnam Catholic Church always wants accompany the country’s development in the spirit of sincerity, responsibility and trust.
He said the Vatican’s Resident Papal Representative has actively cooperated with Vietnam and Pope Francis wants to visit Vietnam soon.

Also on Sunday, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam met Vietnamese intellectuals in Houston city. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State always consider overseas Vietnamese an inseparable part of the nation, and lauded the Vietnamese community in the US for their contributions to the host country as well as to the bilateral ties.

The leader appreciated the dedication, vision, and tangible contributions of Vietnamese intellectuals to the homeland, and expressed his hope that they and their peers around the world will stay united and contribute more to the homeland.