Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City
Roman Catholic archdiocese in Vietnam
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Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Tổng giáo phận Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Latin: Archidioecesis Hochiminhopolitana) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the south of Vietnam. By far the largest diocese in the country by population and second in the number of Catholics, yet like most big cities, it covers a relatively small area of 2,390 km2 (920 sq mi).
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Archidioecesis Metropolitanae Hochiminhopolitana (-Saigonensis) Tổng Giáo phận Sài Gòn (Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh) Archidiocèse Métropolitain d'Sài Gòn (Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville) | |
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 The coat of arms of Archbishop Năng | |
| Location | |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Ecclesiastical province | Saigon |
| Metropolitan | Southwest Ho Chi Minh City |
| Deaneries | 14 |
| Coordinates | 10.7799°N 106.6990°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,093 km2 (808 sq mi) |
Population
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|
| Parishes | 203 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception |
| Secular priests | 379 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Joseph Nguyễn Năng |
| Suffragans | |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Joseph Bùi Công Trác Jean-Baptiste Nguyễn Quang Tuyến (elect) |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| tgpsaigon | |
The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Mẹ Vô nhiễm Nguyên tội) in Ho Chi Minh City has been assigned as the cathedral of the archdiocese.[1] There are also popular and historic churches such as Saint Francis Xavier Church, Saint Jeanne d'Arc Church, Saint Joseph Church, Sacred Heart Church, Saint Philip Church, and Tân Định Church.
By 2004, the archdiocese had about 602,478 believers (11.0% of the population), 519 priests and 195 parishes.[2]
The archdiocese is a "sister" diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles (United States) since 2008.[3]
The archdiocese ministers often take part in international exchanges and contacts, though with special permission of the Vietnamese authorities.
The young Catholics from the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City and Archdiocese of Hanoi formed in 2006 an organization for helping children in rural and underdeveloped areas of Vietnam.[4] The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City regularly organizes special mass events including the Youth Day in December 2007, which was attended by more than 7 000 young people, who take part in volunteer and charitable activities,[5] and two prayer vigils "God is rich in compassion" in March 2008 with the participation of several thousand faithful.[6]
There is a center of social work organized by the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City, which consists of priests, laypeople, and members of civil groups. The center is occupied with three main problems: helping street children, activities to reduce HIV/AIDS level, helping its victims, and social and psychological work with prostitutes to get them off the streets.[7]
The ecclesiastical province of Sài Gòn contains the following suffragan dioceses in south Vietnam:
Name
Since its establishment in 1844, this archdiocese has gone through various names: Vicariate Apostolic of West Tonkin (1844–1924), Vicariate Apostolic of Saigon (1924–1960), and then the Archdiocese of Saigon (from 1960). Nowadays, this archdiocese is called the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City, after the administrative name of the city, and in its communications, the Vatican uses this name.
In reality, the name Archdiocese of Saigon is still used in the documents of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. Additionally, sometimes the name used is the Archdiocese of Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City.
Cathedral
The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Sài Gòn (Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Mẹ Vô nhiễm Nguyên tội, or more commonly Nhà thờ Đức Bà Sài Gòn) in Ho Chi Minh City is considered to be one of the main city attractions and one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Vietnam. It was built from 1877 to 1880 by the French architect J. Bourad, has a Neo-Romanesque façade with twin towers and a statue of the Virgin Mary in the center front.[8]
Bishops
Vicars Apostolic of Western Cochin
| Ordinaries | Period in office | Status | Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre, M.E.P. | March 02, 1844 – August 28, 1864 | Retired | Bishop Jean-Claude Miche, M.E.P. | March 11, 1844 – September 09, 1864 | [9] |
| 2 | Bishop Jean-Claude Miche, M.E.P. | September 09, 1864 – December 01, 1873 | Died in office | Bishop Isidore-François-Joseph Colombert, M.E.P. | February 06, 1872 – December 01, 1872 | |
| 3 | Bishop Isidore-François-Joseph Colombert, M.E.P. | December 01, 1873 – December 31, 1894 | Vacant | |||
| 4 | Bishop Jean-Marie Dépierre, M.E.P. | April 12, 1895 – October 17, 1898 | ||||
| 5 | Bishop Lucien-Emile Mossard, M.E.P. | February 11, 1899 – February 11, 1920 | Bishop Victor-Charles Quinton, M.E.P. | February 12, 1912 – February 11, 1920 | ||
| 6 | Bishop Victor-Charles Quinton, M.E.P. | February 11, 1920 – October 04, 1924 | Vacant | |||
Vicars Apostolic of Sài Gòn
| Ordinaries | Period in office | Status | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop Isidore-Marie-Joseph Dumortier, M.E.P. | December 17, 1925 – February 16, 1940 | Died in office | [10] |
| 2 | Bishop Jean Cassaigne, M.E.P. | March 20, 1941 – September 20, 1955 | Retired | |
| 3 | Bishop Simon Hoà Nguyễn Văn Hiền | September 20, 1955 – November 24, 1960 | Transferred to Diocese of Đà Lat. | |
Archbishops of Ho Chi Minh City
| Archbishops | Coat of Arms | Period in office | Status | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Archbishop of Saigon | ||||||
| 1 | Paul Nguyễn Văn Bình |  |
November 24, 1960 – November 23, 1976 | Title change with the change of the name of the archdiocese. | [11] | |
| Metropolitan Archbishops of Thành-Phô Hô Chí Minh | ||||||
| 1 | Paul Nguyễn Văn Bình | |
November 23, 1976 – July 01, 1995 | Died in office | [12] | |
| – | Bishop Nicolas Huỳnh Văn Nghi | 1993 – March 01, 1998 | Apostolic Administrator | |||
| 2 |  |
Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn |  |
March 01, 1998 – March 22, 2014 | Retired | |
| 3 |  |
Paul Bùi Văn Đọc |  |
March 22, 2014 – March 06, 2018 | Died in Office | |
| 4 |  |
Joseph Nguyễn Năng |  |
October 19, 2019 – present | Current Archbishop | |
Auxiliary Bishops
- François-Xavier Trần Thanh Khâm (1965.10.14 – 1976.10.02)
- Nicolas Huỳnh Văn Nghi (1974.07.01 – 1979.12.06), appointed Bishop of Phan Thiết
- Louis Phạm Văn Nẫm (1977.12.03 – 1999.09.30)
- Joseph Vũ Duy Thống (2001.07.04 – 2009.07.25), appointed Bishop of Phan Thiết
- Pierre Nguyễn Văn Khảm (2008.10.15 – 2014.07.26), appointed Bishop of Mỹ Tho
- Joseph Đỗ Mạnh Hùng (2016.06.25 – 2019.12.03), appointed Bishop of Phan Thiết
- Louis Nguyễn Anh Tuấn (2017.08.25 – 2023.03.25), appointed Bishop of Hà Tĩnh
- Joseph Bùi Công Trác (2022.11.01 – present)
- Jean-Baptiste Nguyễn Quang Tuyến (2026.04.11 – present), bishop-elect
Coadjutor Archbishops
- François Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận (1975.04.24 – 1994.11.24)
- Paul Bùi Văn Ðọc (2013.09.28 – 2014.03.22)
Other secular clergy who became bishops
- Jean-Baptiste Nguyễn Bá Tòng, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Phát Diệm and Titular Bishop of Sozopolis in Hæmimonto in 1933 (Apostolic Administrator there in 1944)
- Paul Nguyễn Văn Bình, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Cần Thơ and Titular Bishop of Agnusiensi in 1955 and later appointed Archbishop here in 1960
- Antoine Nguyễn Văn Thiện (priest here, 1932–1955), appointed Bishop of Vĩnh Long in 1960
- Joseph Trần Văn Thiện (priest here, 1935–1938), appointed Bishop of Mỹ Tho in 1960
- Philippe Nguyễn Kim Điền PFI (priest here, 1947–1956), appointed Bishop of Cần Thơ in 1960 and later Titular Archbishop of Parium and Apostolic Administrator of Huế (later Archbishop there in 1968)
- Michel Nguyễn Khắc Ngữ (incardinated in 1954), appointed Bishop of Long Xuyên in 1960
- Jacques Nguyễn Ngọc Quang (priest here, 1935–1938), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Cần Thơ in 1965 and later succeeded
- Joseph Phạm Văn Thiên, appointed Bishop of Phú Cường in 1965
- Jacques Nguyễn Văn Mầu, appointed Bishop of Vĩnh Long in 1968
- Barthélémy Nguyễn Sơn Lâm PSS (priest here, 1957–1960), appointed Bishop of Đà Lạt in 1975 and later Bishop of Thanh Hóa
- Jean Baptiste Bùi Tuần (priest here, 1955–1960), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Long Xuyên in 1975 and later succeeded
- André Nguyễn Văn Nam (priest here, 1952–1960), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Mỹ Tho in 1975 and later succeeded
- Jacques Huỳnh Văn Của (priest here, 1941–1965), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Phú Cường and Titular Bishop of Mizigi in 1976
- Louis Hà Kim Danh (priest here, 1940–1955), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Phú Cường in 1982 and later succeeded
- Joseph Đinh Đức Đạo, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Xuân Lộc and Titular Bishop of Gadiaufala in 2013 and later Coadjutor there (succeeded in 2016)
- Joseph Đỗ Quang Khang, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Bắc Ninh in 2021 and later succeeded
- Peter Kiều Công Tùng, appointed Bishop of Phát Diệm in 2023
See also
