Vatican Foreign Minister Travels to Vietnam in Unprecedented Visit

The Vatican’s foreign minister Paul Richard Gallagher began an unprecedented six-day visit to Communist-ruled Vietnam on Tuesday as the two sides work on closer relations.
Gallagher’s trip, the first to Vietnam for a Vatican foreign minister, could be followed by other top-level visits, including Pope Francis, who the Vatican has said is planning a trip to Indonesia.
Although no time frame for that trip has been announced, diplomats expect that could be combined with other countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, if Francis’ health allows. Gallagher said in January the pontiff was keen to visit Vietnam.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry said Gallagher will meet Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son late in the afternoon on Tuesday.
Vietnam News Agency reported Gallagher would also meet Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and will hold mass at cathedrals in the capital city Hanoi, in Hue, in the centre of the country, and in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern business hub.