Sarah Mitchell
The history of Catholicism in Vietnam can be traced back to the 16th century when the country first received visits from Catholic missionaries from Portugal and Spain. Despite initial setbacks, the arrival of Jesuits in the 17th century marked a turning point, with the establishment of the first Catholic community in Hội An in 1615. The development of the Vietnamese alphabet using the Latin script by Jesuit missionaries during this period also played a significant role in spreading the faith. The French missionary Pigneau de Behaine's influence on Nguyễn Ánh, who later became Emperor Gia Long, contributed to the growth of Catholicism in Vietnam. By 1802, the Catholic Church in Vietnam had established three dioceses, and Emperor Gia Long's tolerance of the Catholic faith further facilitated its expansion. However, the coexistence of Catholicism and Confucianism faced challenges with the succession plan, leading to fluctuations in the acceptance of Catholicism in the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First Catholic missionaries from | Portugal and Spain |
| First Catholic missionaries arrived in Vietnam in | 16th century |
| First Catholic community established in | Hội An in 1615 |
| First Catholic community established by | Two priests, Francesco Buzomi and Diogo Carvalho |
| Number of converts between 1627 and 1630 | More than 6,000 |
| Converters between 1627 and 1630 | Avignonese Alexandre de Rhodes and Portuguese Pero Marques |
| Jesuit missionaries who developed an alphabet for the Vietnamese language | Francisco de Pina, Gaspar do Amaral, Antonio Barbosa, and de Rhodes |
| Vietnamese emperor who appointed his son for his aversion to Westerners and Catholicism | Nguyễn Phúc Đảm |
| Ruling Nguyễn lords killed by | Tây Sơn brothers |
| Year in which Tây Sơn brothers killed the ruling Nguyễn lords | 1777 |
| Number of dioceses by 1802 | 3 |
| Population of Christians in Tonkin by 1802 | 300,000 |
| Population of Christians in Cochinchina by 1802 | 60,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Catholic missionaries from Portugal and Spain arrived in the 16th century
The first Catholic missionaries to Vietnam arrived in the 16th century from Portugal and Spain. The earliest missions did not achieve much success among the local populations. It wasn't until the arrival of Jesuits in the first decades of the 17th century that Christianity began to gain a foothold in Vietnam.
In 1524, a Portuguese merchant named Duarte Coelho arrived in Hội An, central Vietnam, with a fleet of ships for trade, bringing along Catholic missionaries. A missionary named I-nê-khu reached Nam Định in northern Vietnam in 1533.
In the early 17th century, Jesuit missionaries, mainly from Italy, Portugal, and Japan, made significant progress in spreading the Christian faith among the Vietnamese people. In 1615, two priests, Francesco Buzomi and Diogo Carvalho, established the first Catholic community in Hội An. Between 1627 and 1630, Avignonese Alexandre de Rhodes and Portuguese Pero Marques converted more than 6,000 people in Tonkin.
In the 17th century, Jesuit missionaries including Francisco de Pina, Gaspar do Amaral, Antonio Barbosa, and de Rhodes developed an alphabet for the Vietnamese language, using the Latin script with added diacritic marks. This writing system, called chữ Quốc ngữ or "national language script", continues to be used today. Meanwhile, the traditional chữ Nôm was the main script for conveying the Catholic faith to the Vietnamese until the late 19th century.
Beginning in the late 17th century, French missionaries from the Society of Foreign Missions and Spanish missionaries from the Dominican Order became increasingly involved in evangelization efforts in Vietnam. Other missionaries active in pre-modern Vietnam included Franciscans in Cochinchina, Italian Dominicans and Discalced Augustinians in Eastern Tonkin, and those sent by the Propaganda Fide.
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Jesuits in the 17th century helped convert locals
The first Catholic missionaries visited Vietnam from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century. However, it was only after the arrival of Jesuits in the first decades of the 17th century that Christianity began to gain converts within the local populations in both the regions of Đàng Ngoài (Tonkin) and Đàng Trong (Cochinchina or Quinan). These missionaries were mainly Italians, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Two priests, Francesco Buzomi and Diogo Carvalho, established the first Catholic community in Hội An in 1615. Between 1627 and 1630, Avignonese Alexandre de Rhodes and Portuguese Pero Marques converted more than 6,000 people in Tonkin. In the 17th century, Jesuit missionaries including Francisco de Pina, Gaspar do Amaral, Antonio Barbosa, and de Rhodes developed an alphabet for the Vietnamese language, using the Latin script with added diacritic marks. This writing system, called chữ Quốc ngữ or "national language script", is still used today.
The Jesuit activities were not always welcomed by the two rival governments of Vietnam. In May 1630, Lord Trịnh Tráng of Tonkin ordered the Jesuits to leave his domain. In 1639, some Japanese Christians in Hội An assisted in a revolt against the government, leading Lord Nguyễn Phúc Lan of Cochinchina to also expel the Jesuits.
In the 18th century, French missionary and Bishop of Adraa Pigneau de Behaine played a significant role in Vietnamese history. He became a confidant and advisor to Nguyễn Ánh, who later became Emperor Gia Long and founded the Nguyễn dynasty. Pigneau hoped that by aiding Ánh in his victory, he would gain important concessions for the Catholic Church in Vietnam and help its expansion throughout Southeast Asia.
By 1802, when Nguyễn Ánh conquered all of Vietnam, the Catholic Church in Vietnam had three dioceses: Eastern Tonkin, Western Tonkin, and Central and Southern Cochinchina. Gia Long tolerated the Catholic faith of his French allies and permitted unimpeded missionary activities. However, the peaceful coexistence of Catholicism and the classical Confucian system in Vietnam was not to last. While Gia Long was Confucian in outlook, his successor, Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, was chosen for his deeply conservative aversion to Westerners.
In the 20th century, the Catholic Church in Vietnam continued to face challenges and persecution from the Communist government.
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French missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries
The first Catholic missionaries to Vietnam came from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century. In the 17th century, Jesuit missionaries from Italy, Portugal, and Japan began to gain converts within the local populations. During this time, Christianity began to establish its position within the local populations in the regions of Đàng Ngoài (Tonkin) and Đàng Trong (Cochinchina).
In the second half of the 17th century, the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris began operating in Vietnam. French missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and Spanish missionaries of the Dominican Order gradually took on the role of evangelization in Vietnam. In 1658, French missionary Father Joseph Tissanier arrived in Tonkin, but he was expelled in 1664 under the rule of Trịnh Tạc. In 1666, the Ayutthaya base of the Paris Foreign Missions Society dispatched Father François Deydier to Tonkin, who was able to reorganize Catholics there, although he remained in hiding.
In the 18th century, the Tây Sơn rebellion overthrew the Nguyễn family, but one of its members, Nguyễn Ánh, the future Emperor Gia Long, obtained a treaty of alliance with the French king Louis XVI with the aid of the French Catholic priest Pierre Pigneau de Béhaine. Pigneau de Béhaine played a significant role in Vietnamese history towards the end of the 18th century. He became a political and military advisor to Nguyễn Ánh and helped him acquire sway over all of Vietnam.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, political unrest in Vietnam created by wars between different political powers and the ban on Christianity imposed by the rulers of Tonkin and Cochinchina disrupted the presence of French missionaries in dioceses over which they were given authority. Despite these challenges, French missionaries were well-organized and proactive throughout the centuries, and the adoption of Christianity in Vietnam was achieved through cooperation between the missionaries and the Vietnamese population.
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Catholic influence in the Nguyễn dynasty
The first Catholic missionaries visited Vietnam from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century, though the faith only began to gain converts in the early 17th century with the arrival of Jesuits.
The Nguyễn dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, and its relationship with Catholicism was complex and often hostile.
The founder of the Nguyễn dynasty, Emperor Gia Long, was relatively tolerant of Christianity. He permitted unimpeded missionary activities out of respect for his foreign benefactors. During his reign, Catholicism was peacefully worshipped without restriction. Gia Long's successor, Minh Mạng, took a different approach. Influenced by anti-Christian propaganda and considering Christianity a heterodox religion due to its rejection of ancestor worship, he introduced a policy of isolationism and tightened control over Catholicism. This led to a power struggle between Minh Mạng and pro-Catholic, pro-Western officials, culminating in a revolt by 2,000 Vietnamese Catholic troops attempting to install a Catholic "emperor". The revolt was put down, and restrictions were placed on Catholicism.
Despite the persecution, many Vietnamese Catholics continued to support French colonial efforts in Vietnam, seeing them as a protective force for their religious minority. This dynamic continued throughout the Nguyễn dynasty, with persistent rebellions led by Catholic priests intent on installing a Christian monarch.
The Tây Sơn dynasty, which preceded the Nguyễn dynasty, was openly hostile to Catholics, massacring over 10,000 Catholic civilians in Quảng Trị in 1798. This persecution played a role in justifying French colonial invasion and occupation, as the French sought to protect Catholic believers.
During the Nguyễn dynasty, Catholic believers and clergy faced brutal suppression, with a series of edicts issued to restrict their practices. The most notorious was the 1839 Kỷ Hợi Edict, which called for the merciless torture and execution of those who refused to renounce their Catholic faith. This period of persecution, known as the Lệnh Bách Đạo, lasted from 1820 to 1883.
The complex interplay between the Nguyễn dynasty, Catholic missionaries, and French colonial powers shaped the religious and political landscape of Vietnam during this period.
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Communist government and the Catholic Church
Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the 16th century by missionaries from Portugal and Spain. The religion gained traction in the 17th century, with the arrival of Jesuits, and the first Catholic community was established in Hội An in 1615. By the 18th century, the Catholic Church began to play a significant role in Vietnamese politics, with the French missionary priest Pigneau becoming an advisor to Nguyễn Ánh, who later became Emperor Gia Long. Gia Long tolerated the Catholic faith and permitted missionary activities, leading to the establishment of three dioceses by 1802. However, this peaceful coexistence was short-lived, as his successor, Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, had a strong aversion to Westerners and Catholicism.
During the war against the French colonial regime from 1946 to 1954, relations between the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) and the Catholic Church deteriorated. Fighting between the Viet Minh forces and pro-French Catholic militia in the Phat Diem area of North Vietnam was particularly intense. As a result, a large number of Catholics fled to South Vietnam after the 1954 Geneva Agreement, while those who remained in the North faced increasing persecution.
When the Communist government took control of North Vietnam, they openly used Marxist ideology to address religious issues. While the ultimate goal of Communism is the elimination of religion, Ho Chi Minh recognized that this was not feasible in Vietnam, especially with the presence of a significant Catholic community. As a result, the government attempted to establish organizations like the Assembly of Vietnamese Catholic Representatives in 1955 to manage religious affairs and promote patriotism among Catholics. Despite these efforts, the Catholic Church in North Vietnam faced severe repression, with religious activists and leaders being arrested and Catholics facing discrimination in accessing public services.
After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the entire country came under Communist rule. The Communist government's influence significantly impacted the survival of Christian denominations, and the Catholic Church in particular faced harassment and violent crackdowns. Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, for example, was imprisoned for 13 years before being exiled. Despite these challenges, the Catholic Church in Vietnam has survived due to the diplomatic skills of local church leaders, the loyalty of the laity, and historical factors.
Today, there are about 6 million Catholics in Vietnam, constituting about 8% of the population. While the Vietnamese government continues to exert control over religious organizations, the Catholic Church remains independent and in communion with the Holy See. The survival of the Catholic Church in Vietnam is a testament to the resilience of the community and the evolving dynamics between religion and the state in a Communist country.
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Frequently asked questions
The first Catholic missionaries visited Vietnam from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century.
Catholicism started to gain converts among the local populations in the 17th century, after the arrival of Jesuits.
In the 17th century, Jesuit missionaries including Francisco de Pina, Gaspar do Amaral, Antonio Barbosa, and de Rhodes developed an alphabet for the Vietnamese language, using the Latin script with added diacritic marks.
