SAIGON [HO CHI MINH CITY], APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It comprises, besides several civil provinces of Cochinchina, also three provinces of Annam. It is entrusted to the Fathers of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris, who arrived there in 1684.
The Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes can rightly be considered the first evangelizer and organizer of Christian communities in Cochinchina, where he arrived in 1624. On Sept. 9, 1659 the vicariate of Cochinchina was entrusted to Msgr. Pierre de la Motte. On March 2, 1844 the mission was divided into the apostolic vicariate of Eastern Cochinchina (today Quinhon) and the apostolic vicariate of Western Cochinchina (today Saigon). The Christians suffered a first persecution under King Minh-Mang and a second, far more terrible one, under King Tu-Duc, during which there were many martyrs, some of whom were beatified in 1900 and in 1908. The French intervention marked a truce in the religious persecution, through the Peace Treaty of June 5, 1862, ratified at Hué the following year. In 1875 religious freedom was definitively proclaimed. On Aug. 30, 1850 from the vicariate of Western Cochinchina was detached that of Cambodia (today the apostolic vicariate of Phnompenh) together with the adjoining part of Laos (today the apostolic prefecture of Thakhek).
On July 22, 1870 two more provinces were detached from it and united to the same vicariate of Cambodia. On Febr. 9, 1900 and July 1, 1907 certain districts taken from the vicariate of Eastern Cochinchina were annexed to the vicariate of Western Cochinchina. On Dec. 2, 1924 the mission of Western Cochinchina received its present name of Saigon.
It has an area of 35,000 sq. km. and a population of ca. 2,800,000 inhabitants. According to the statistical data for 1950-51, there are 119,033 Catholics with 2717 catechumens; 6000 Protestants and 2,700,000 pagans. Missionary personnel: 170 priests, of whom 101 are native, 26 fathers of the M. E. P., 3 Lazarists, 26 Canadian Redemptorists, 7 Benedictines and 7 Franciscan Friars Minor; 153 brothers, of whom 29 are native; 1069 sisters; 40 major and 136 minor seminarians; 11 catechists; 86 male and 313 female teachers. Works of teaching and assistance: 105 elementary schools; 10 middle schools; 3 high schools; 3 nurseries; 11 hospitals; 5 orphanages; a leprosarium. There are 252 sacred buildings; 13 rural deaneries; 16 quasi-parishes; 73 primary and 181 secondary stations. A newspaper entitled Tong-Do is published there with a circulation of 6000 copies. The city of residence of the Ordinary is Saigon, an important port of southern Vietnam.
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Edoardo Pecoraro