Just days after the death of Pope Francis and during the conclave that elected Leo XIV, a statue of the Virgin Mary — who appeared in support of persecuted Vietnamese Catholics — was placed just a short distance from the Dome of St Peter’s. The Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City said: “May she intercede for the Pope and for all our communities around the world.”
The ILO reports a 10 per cent drop in informal work in Vietnam, but many complain that workers in large, export-oriented companies still suffer from job insecurity and lower wages. Manufacturing employs some 17 million people. Set to come into force on 1 July 2025, Vietnam’s new trade union law remains controversial.
On the day of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Saigon and the reunification of the country, the experience of the Scalabrinian missionaries who stand by the families arriving in the big city from the countryside.
In Vietnamese churches, public memorial services are being held for the pontiff. On behalf of the communist authorities, a government official burnt incense in his memory at the headquarters of the Bishops' Conference. No cardinal from this lively and courageous Church will be at the conclave, but everyone remembers Francis’s suggestion that his successor will certainly go to Vietnam.
This is the Chinese president’s second trip to Vietnam in less than 18 months to reboot strategic cooperation with the communist country to deal with US tariffs. The visit is part of a regional tour that includes Malaysia and Cambodia. Meanwhile, Cambodia sent Taiwanese citizens to China accused of working in online scam centres.
China has announced its countermove against US-made goods and new restrictions on the export of rare earths. Meanwhile, 50 years after the end of the Vietnam War, Hanoi deems 46 per cent tariffs imposed by the White House as “unfair”, but it is open to mediation and does not plan to retaliate. In the meantime, however, Tô Lâm could go to Moscow in May for the Victory Parade.
