VIENTIANE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. — Situated in the center of the French protectorate of Laos (Indochina), it covers an area of 100,000 sq. km. It is entrusted to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
On 4 May 1899, the apostolic vicariate of Laos was erected, detaching it from that of Eastern Siam (today Bangkok). On 17 June 1938, the apostolic prefecture of V. and Luang-Prabang was erected by dismemberment of the same apostolic vicariate of Laos. On 13 March 1952, this prefecture was elevated to the apostolic vicariate of V., which is the official capital of the Kingdom of Laos, which, although under a French mandate,
enjoys a certain degree of independence. The seat of government is Luang-Prabang.
Around 1630, Fr. Giovanni Maria Liera, a Jesuit, was the first missionary to visit Laos. From Tonkin he reached V. Annam. On several occasions, some Fathers of the Paris Foreign Missions attempted to penetrate Laos, coming from Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia, or Siam. All these attempts were unsuccessful, and most of the missionaries died of jungle fever while crossing the mountains and immense forests separating Laos from these various countries. In 1881, Msgr. Vey, apostolic vicar of Siam, made a new attempt, sending Frs. Giovanni Battista Prudhomme and Francesco Saverio Guego there. After a three-month journey, they arrived at Ubon, a Siamese city in the southern part of Laos. In 1884, Fr. Prudhomme founded the Christian communities of Makhon and Sakhon, while in 1889 Fr. Rondel founded the Christian community of Kangsadok and in 1893 that of Paksane. In 1929, Fr. Thibaud, in charge of the Christian community of V., made an exploratory journey to Luang-Prabang, Paklai, and Huei-sai, where he found a certain number of Annamite Christians. In that same year, a Canadian Protestant pastor came to settle in Luang-Prabang. Meanwhile, means of communication became easier, as a motorized boat service had been inaugurated, and the missionaries’ visits became more frequent. Beginning in 1931, Fr. Excoffon, in charge of the region of V., organized the Christian community of Luang-Prabang and built a chapel there. On 14 January 1935, the first Oblate missionaries of Mary Immaculate arrived in Laos, led by Fr. Enrico Mazoyer. Of a population of 123,000 inhabitants, there are 4,214 Catholics and 413 catechumens. There are 20 priests, of whom 17 are Oblates of Mary Immaculate and 3 are Annamites; 2 lay brothers; a minor seminary with 20 seminarians; 10 sisters, foreign and indigenous; 12 catechists; 9 teachers; 13 sacred buildings; 8 pharmacies; an orphanage; 2 elementary schools; 12 schools of prayer; and a printing press.