Vietnamese leaders extend condolences over death of Pope Francis

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also sent a message of condolence to Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.

The cause of Pope Francis' death has been identified as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse, according to Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State.

In the 12 years of his pontificate, Pope Francis visited 68 countries giving life to a tireless mission to take the Word of God and the comfort of His love to the whole human family.

Relations between Viet Nam and the Vatican have seen many positive developments, thanks to high-level visits and interactions between their leaders, negotiations of the Viet Nam-Vatican Joint Working Group, and particularly the elevation of their relationship to the level of Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam since July 2023.

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, visited Viet Nam from April 9-11, 2024.

At his meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Gallagher praised Viet Nam’s development achievements in all fields and the Viet Nam Catholic Church’s growth and positive contributions to national construction and development.

The two sides have agreed to maintain effective high-level exchange activities and leverage the role of the Vatican's Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam to bring the bilateral relations forward./.