Vu Nhi Cong

The city government has recognised the "historical and cultural value" of the Thủ Thiêm church and convent. The authorities had tried to seize them to make room for urban development. Fr Niêm was resolute and courageously held the parish community together. In 2018 he said, “I have a duty to [. . .] sacrifice my life to protect the flock.”

The man was identified thanks to Mạng xã hội, a social networking service that defends citizens from government abuses. Nguyễn Hữu Linh, 61, was vice president of the People's Procuratorate in Đà Nẵng City. About 2,000 children are victims of violence every year in Vietnam. In 2018, Vietnamese authorities brought to trial about 500 out of 1,300 defendants.

Over the past three months, a number of youths took part in intensive lessons on the catechesis and religious life. In Tân Việt parish, the baptised thanked priests, catechists and faithful. Thousands of faithful took part in spiritual retreats and moments of prayer organised by the Redemptorist fathers.

More than 300 boys and girls prepared for Easter with a retreat in the parish of Cửa Bắc. Members organize fundraiser for the cardiac surgery operations of some children of Tràng Châu. Thanks to Canadian benefactors and the Hanoi ophthalmic hospital, free eye operations also great success.

A thousand workers protest in Gia Tân after discovering rotten seasonings and cooking oil in their canteens’ kitchen. Workers at the Tnhh Tm-Dv-Sx plant in in Đồng Nai province complain of headache, blurred vision, abdominal pain and fainting. In Bình Dương, the authorities seize and destroy five tonnes of rotten pig.

Hanoi's priorities include a North-South Highway with a 118 trillion đồng (US$ 5.3 billion) price tag, with less than half from China. Chinese interest rates are among the highest and come with several fees. Chinese companies win contracts by outbidding others, but their costs multiply as a result of delays and slow work.

The trial of the young Catholic woman will resume tomorrow. “All the relatives are gathered in prayer,” her mother said. The other defendant has been released. Both have the same defence argument: They were duped by North Korean agents.

In every parish of the archdiocese, Catholics prepare for Easter by participating in charitable initiatives. For nearly 30 years, Hà Nội parish has held a blood drive at Advent and Lent. Yet, donations remain a taboo in many quarters. In 2019, 330 people have donated blood in one ward, a local official noted. In Hà Nội parish, 142 people donated blood in one day.

North Korea and the United States fail to agree on denuclearisation and sanctions. Hanoi and Washington sign agreements worth more than US$ 21 billion. Trump say he is “very proud of what Vietnam has achieved". For Vietnamese economist, Vietnam was smart to settle some trade irritants with the US over its trade surplus.

Unemployment, pollution and food shortages are pushing people over the edge into a life of misery. In the capital, Catholics are little more than 314,000 or 3.7 per cent of the city's population. The Catholic charity has 20,000 members, committed to helping the sick, seniors, the disabled and children, something that is acknowledged even by the government.

Communist authorities demolished at least 112 homes in Lộc Hưng on land owned by the Paris Foreign Missions Society. For the bishop emeritus of Kontum, even if they treat “us with cruelty, we continue to love them as our brothers and sisters."

In the Thanh Hóa diocese, parishes organise charitable and social initiatives. The local cathedral and Catholics in Ba Làng helped tribal people. Mỹ Điểm parish and the Legio Mariae joined forces to help seniors and disabled cope with loneliness.