President Vo Van Thuong meets Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, at the Vatican on July 28, 2023.

The Vietnamese leader underlined the Vatican's role in global issues and wished that the Vatican would continue upholding its role in mediating conflicts, preserving peace, promoting sustainable development, and fostering unity, friendship, cooperation and development among nations and religions worldwide.

Parolin spoke highly of Vietnam's achievements in ensuring religious freedom for all religions, including Catholicism. He thanked Vietnam for recognising positive contributions made by the Catholic Church in various areas such as charity work, education, health care and vocational training.

Hailing Vietnam’s increasingly important role in the Catholic Church with over 7.2 million Catholics, Parolin said that the Holy See always encourages Catholic dignitaries and followers in Vietnam to follow the mottos of “Accompanying the nation” and “A good Catholic is a good citizen”.

The Vatican backs the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said.

Both sides issued a joint communique on the conclusion of the Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative of the Vatican in Vietnam.