Catholic community in Ha Tinh province: A resource contributing to national development
WVR - With the attention and facilitation of party committees, authorities, and the encouragement and guidance of the Committee for Catholic Solidarity at all levels, along with the support of clergy, the Catholic community in Ha Tinh province has significantly contributed to the defense of the nation and the development of their homeland.
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| A delegation from the Diocese of Ha Tinh, led by Bishop Louis Nguyen Anh Tuan – Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Bishops' Conference, Bishop of Ha Tinh Diocese, along with priests and clergy, extended New Year greetings to the Party Committee, authorities, and people of Ha Tinh province on the occasion of the Lunar New Year Binh Ngo 2026, on February 6. (Source: Ha Tinh Newspaper) |
For many years, the party committees and authorities in Ha Tinh province have consistently led and directed the effective implementation of the Party's guidelines and resolutions on religious work in the new context.
With the attention and facilitation of party committees, authorities, and the encouragement and guidance of the Committee for Catholic Solidarity at all levels, along with the support of clergy, the Catholic community in Ha Tinh province has significantly contributed to the defense of the nation and the development of their homeland.
Promoting the spirit of "Living a good life, beautiful faith"
The introduction, formation, and development of Catholicism in Ha Tinh are closely linked with the Vinh Diocese. On December 22, 2018, Pope Francis issued a decree establishing the Ha Tinh Diocese, separating it from the Vinh Diocese, making it the 27th diocese of the Catholic Church in Vietnam.
Currently, the Ha Tinh Catholic community has a Diocesan Bishop's Office, a Pre-Seminary, 9 deaneries, 77 parishes, 237 sub-parishes, 12 religious institutions, 3 charitable and vocational training centers, 243 places of worship, 118 clergy members, over 300 religious members living and working in religious institutions, 1,461 lay leaders, and approximately 1,500 catechists. The total number of Catholics is 176,165, accounting for about 11% of the province's population (based on the latest provincial population data), residing in 56 out of 69 communes and wards, with 575 out of 1,925 villages and neighborhoods being Catholic areas, including 71 entirely Catholic villages.
Over the past five years, in response to the campaign "All People Unite to Build New Rural Areas and Civilized Urban Areas", the Catholic community has actively contributed labour, land, and assets. Specifically, over 3,500 families donated more than 221,500 square meters of land and 162,000 trees to expand village roads and alleys, contributed over 293,000 workdays, constructed over 48.5 km of concrete roads, and 76 km of hard-surfaced roads, with financial contributions amounting to tens of billions of VND. Notable parishes include Chan Thanh, An Nhien (Thanh Sen Ward), Loc Thuy (Thach Ha Commune), Trai Le (Can Loc), Nghia Yen (Duc Tho), Ninh Cuong (Huong Khe Commune), Tay Ha, and Hai Ha (Song Tri Ward).
In the movement "Gratitude and Remembering the Source", Catholics have contributed thousands of workdays and hundreds of millions of VND to build cemeteries, martyr monuments, and 623 gratitude houses, and supported billions of VND to the funds for the poor at all levels and victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. They organized the donation of 366 savings books to policy families with a total value of over 180 million VND. In 2024, Bishop Nguyen Anh Tuan of Ha Tinh Diocese raised nearly 7 billion VND for Caritas Vietnam to support compatriots affected by floods.
In humanitarian and social protection work, the Catholic community has made significant contributions. Caritas Ha Tinh Diocese (established in 2019 – a charity organization of the Catholic Church in Vietnam) has implemented many humanitarian programs, such as opening centres for disabled children, orphanages, and supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and disabilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic organizations in Ha Tinh donated hundreds of millions of VND and thousands of practical gifts to people in quarantine areas. Many parishes lent their premises to authorities for concentrated quarantine against COVID-19 and engaged in various other humanitarian activities.
According to Caritas Ha Tinh Diocese, from 2019 to mid-2024, 61,319 poor patients (both Catholic and non-Catholic) received eye surgeries and rehabilitation, with free eye surgeries providing "new light" for 2,000 poor individuals. Nearly 33,550 people with disabilities received rehabilitation through centers operated by Catholic organizations. The "Brotherly Meal" model, providing meals at hospitals for 40,936 poor patients, is a meaningful form of spiritual and material support.
The Catholic population, accounting for 11% of the province's total population, is a "resource" actively contributing to Ha Tinh's economic development. Currently, the province has over 5,000 economic models owned by Catholics, generating incomes from 150 to 500 million VND per model per year. There are 1,000 small and medium enterprises and cooperative models with revenues from 1 to 15 billion VND per unit per year. Many exemplary businesses have revenues ranging from 30 to 100 billion VND per year, such as Chau Tuan Import-Export Co., Ltd. (Nghi Xuan Commune), Trung Anh Construction & Trading Co., Ltd. (Can Loc Commune), Kim Ngan Trading Co., Ltd. (Thanh Sen Ward), and Phu Nhan Nghia Co., Ltd. (Ky Anh Commune), providing jobs for hundreds of local workers with average incomes from 7.5 to 9.5 million VND per person per month.
Additionally, the Ha Tinh Diocese Business Association has nearly 200 members participating. Traditional craft villages producing shrimp paste and fish sauce are well-maintained and developed in Trung Nghia Parish (Loc Ha Commune), Thu Chi (Thach Lac Commune), and Nhuong Ban (Thien Cam Commune). Traditional medicine, rice cake, and noodle production in parishes like Nghia Yen (Duc Tho Commune) and Ninh Cuong (Huong Pho Commune) provide stable incomes and improve the living standards of households. To date, over 46 OCOP products have achieved 3-star standards, owned by Catholic residents, including deer velvet, fish sauce, oranges, and honey.
According to the report from the Provincial Committee for Catholic Solidarity, there are currently over 8,008 Catholic households in the province with incomes ranging from 80 to 200 million VND per year. Notably, the Catholic youth are diligent and hardworking, with a strong labor export movement. Over 6,800 Catholic youths are working abroad, sending back over 300 billion VND annually to help their families develop economically, improve living standards, and contribute to building their homeland.
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| Catholics in Lien Tien Village (Mai Phu Commune, Loc Ha District) tidy up flower beds and clean the environment every afternoon. (Source: Ha Tinh Newspaper) |
Promoting the spirit of dialogue, consensus, accompaniment, and coordination
With the spirit of "Living a Good Life, Beautiful Faith", the teachings of Pope Benedict XV that "A good Catholic is a good citizen", and the spirit of the 1980 Pastoral Letter of the Vietnam Bishops' Conference, "As a Church in the heart of the Vietnamese nation, we are determined to be attached to the destiny of our homeland, following the national tradition, integrating into the current life of the country...", the Ha Tinh Diocesan Bishop's Office, along with clergy and local authorities, have fostered a connection, deepening relationships based on dialogue, accompaniment, consensus, and coordination in ensuring the legitimate rights of Catholics according to the law, resolving religious-related issues reasonably, preventing complex incidents in the area, and facilitating the province's economic and social development.
Clergy, lay leaders, and Catholic residents in the area have always trusted and effectively implemented the Party's and State's policies and laws; actively participated in patriotic emulation movements and campaigns; and effectively engaged in social welfare programs. Sharing in the national and local pride, religious institutions and residents actively participated in flag-raising during major holidays such as National Day on September 2, Tet holidays, and other important anniversaries. In 2025, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, over 90% (225/249) of Catholic institutions, 100% of Catholic villages, including 71 entirely Catholic areas, displayed the national flag. The entire province has 58 entirely Catholic villages and neighborhoods with a high Catholic population achieving the titles of "Cultural Village", "Cultural Residential Area", and "Cultural Neighborhood", accounting for 83.9%, with the number of families achieving the title of "Cultural Family" increasing year by year, accounting for over 90%.
They actively encouraged believers to support and agree to implement many key provincial and national projects, notably in 2011, when the Vinh Diocesan Bishop's Office and priests in Ky Anh coordinated to relocate 1 parish, 1 sub-parish, 1 religious house, and 1 cemetery with nearly 5,000 Catholics from Dong Yen Parish (former Ky Loi Commune) to clear the site for the Vung Ang Industrial Zone. In 2022, they coordinated to encourage Catholics to agree to the construction of the Huong Khe High-Tech Waste Treatment Plant, and most recently, the Ha Tinh Diocesan Bishop's Office and the parish priest of Du Yen (Vung Ang Ward) coordinated to encourage Catholics to agree, and by October 21, 2025, the power line passing through Du Yen Parish (Vung Ang Ward) as part of the Vung Ang 220KW Substation Project was completed.
In the recent elections for the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term, the participation rate of Catholic voters was high, with 88 out of 98 priests and 99.44% of Catholic voters participating in the elections. Many priests and laypeople were among the first to vote, creating an enthusiastic atmosphere on election day in parishes and sub-parishes.
Clergy, lay leaders, and Catholics have actively demonstrated high responsibility when participating in the political system. As of June 2025, the province has nearly 600 party members who are religious, and in the past term, 373 party members who are officials, civil servants, and public employees participated in the political system from the provincial to the grassroots level: 150 participated in People's Councils at all levels (1 at the provincial level, 11 at the district level, and 138 at the commune level); 128 participated in party committees (12 at the provincial level, 53 at the district level, 28 at the commune level, and 35 at the grassroots level); 524 religious individuals were nominated to participate as members of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at all levels for the 2019-2024 term (452 at the commune level, 58 at the district level, and 14 at the provincial level), and 41 were members of the Provincial Committee for Catholic Solidarity for the 2023-2028 term.
From a perspective of integration, "Living a Good Life, Beautiful Faith", the Ha Tinh Diocesan Bishop's Office has always actively guided and encouraged clergy, lay leaders, and Catholics to operate and resolve all related issues in the spirit of dialogue, consensus, accompaniment, and coordination with party committees, authorities, and fronts at all levels, actively contributing to all fields of economy, culture, society, national defense, participating in patriotic emulation movements, campaigns, building and strengthening the great national unity bloc, contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of believers, and deepening the tradition of "Charity and Love".
| The Catholic population, accounting for 11% of the province's total population, is a "resource" actively contributing to Ha Tinh's economic development. Currently, the province has over 5,000 economic models owned by Catholics, generating incomes from 150-500 million VND per model per year; there are 1,000 small and medium enterprises and cooperative models with revenues from 1 to 15 billion VND per unit per year; many exemplary businesses have revenues ranging from 30 to 100 billion VND per year, providing jobs for over ten thousand local workers. |
