Archbishop Gallagher is expected to meet Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son today in Vietnam.

“We are delighted that Archbishop Gallagher will visit us. We did not dare to dream about such a visit years ago,” said Anthony Nguyen Dac Hung from the Hanoi archdiocese.

Hung, head of a charity group, said Archbishop Gallagher’s visit follows years of talks between the Holy See and Vietnam.

The visit will cement bilateral ties as the communist nation has relaxed religious norms, he added.

Authorities from the northwestern provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Son La, where religion is not recognised, have started showing positive signals to the activities of local Catholics and their charity groups, Hung noted.

Archbishop Gallagher and his five-member delegation will meet with local people in Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City and also will visit some church-run facilities.

He said priests are allowed to build facilities to meet their religious needs in these provinces.

Hung said, “Gallagher will discuss arrangements for a visit by Pope Francis to our country this year.”

“We hope Gallagher’s visit will help the government recognise the Church mission,” said Ignace Nguyen Buu Man, head of a Franciscan group in Hue, a city in central Vietnam.

“Local people enjoy more religious freedom when Vietnam and the Holy See have a good relationship.”

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