THANH-HOA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of - It is located in Vietnam and comprises the Annamite province of T.-H. and the Laotian province of Samnuu or Hua-phan, whose total area is 21,000 sq km with a population of 1,700,000 inhabitants.

It was erected on 26 April 1932 by detachment from the apostolic vicariate of Phat-Diem and entrusted to the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris. The main stock is the Annamite. There are other stocks, not very numerous, such as: Mong, Tay, Man, Mao, Kha, Laotians, etc. The Annamites have the cult of ancestors and of genies. The Laotians are Buddhists and attached to their bonzes. They are less active than the Annamites, more careless, and easily migrate from one place to another. For these reasons the work of evangelization in the Laotian region (Hua-phan) is more arduous, more slow; the neophytes are less ready to learn and to practice the Christian religion well. Despite this, progress has not been lacking. Throughout the entire vicariate there are small groups of Protestants, amounting to a few hundred.

On 19 March 1627, Fr. Alexandre de Rhodes, S.J., landed with Fr. Pietro Marques at the port of Cua-bang (today the vicariate of T.-H.), which he named Port of St. Joseph, since that day was the feast of the Saint. To the crowd eager to admire the merchandise brought by the Portuguese, the missionary spoke about the true path of happiness and, even before disembarking, two educated persons had decided to receive Baptism. Two months later, Fr. de Rhodes had already baptized two hundred pagans. Today there are 60,443 Catholics, with 6,162 catechumens; 54 native priests and 48 foreign; 17 native brothers; 67 native sisters and 17 foreign; 26 major seminarians; 54 elementary schools; one middle school; 8 hospitals; 6 dispensaries; 11 orphanages; a leper colony.

At present, the entire Annamite province (T.-H.) is controlled by the Vietminh, while the Laotian province (Sam-nua), being cut off from the jurisdiction of the Ordinary of T.-H., is governed by an apostolic administrator.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: Arch. di Prop. Fide, Relax. con Sommario, pos. prot. n. 1016/32; Relax. quinquen., pos. prot. n. 4071/55; Relax. ann., pos. prot. n. 4004/52; H. Chappouille, Aux origines d'une Eglise. Rome et les missions d'Indochine au XVIIe siècle, Paris 1943, pp. 9-11, 33, 347; MC, 1946, pp. 399-400.

Edoardo Pecoraro

@incollection{ec12_thanh_hoa_vicariato_apostolico, author = {Pecoraio, Edoardo}, title = {Thanh-Hoa, vicariato apostolico di}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {40}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/thanh-hoa-vicariato-apostolico-di} }

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Thanh-Hoa, Apostolic Vicariate of

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