The Relationship Between the Catholic Church and the State in Vietnam

Using the see-judge-act pastoral method, this paper traces the evolving relationship between the Catholic Church and the Vietnamese state from the 1975 reunification's repression and property confiscation, through the Doi Moi reforms and normalization of Vatican relations, to the present stage of cautious cooperation, including the 2023 agreement on a resident papal representative. Through case studies such as Cardinal Van Thuan's imprisonment and the Church's mobilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author argues that Vietnamese Catholics' witness of justice, charity, and faith, combined with a consistent commitment to dialogue and synodality, has gradually transformed mutual suspicion into growing trust, offering a model of peaceful Church-state engagement without political confrontation.