New Bishops for Kontum and Vinh Long (Vietnam)

The Holy Father  on Wednesday appointed Rev. Luy Gonzaga Nguyễn Hùng you, pastor of Phương Nghĩa (Kontum)  as Bishop of the Diocese of Kontum, Vietnam.

The new Bishop was born August 18, 1952 in Hà Nội.  From 1963 to 1968, he received priestly formation at the Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Kontum and, then he attended the Minor Seminary of Đà Lạt. From 1973 to 1977 he was a student at the Pontifical College of St. Pius X Đà Lạt. Subsequently,  he served for 13 years in the parish of Binh Cang, in the Diocese of Nha Trang, waiting to get government permission for the ordination.  He was ordained a priest on April 7, 1990 in Nha Trang, and then was incardinated in the diocese of Kontum.

As an ordained priest he served the diocese as assistant priest, Director of the Minor Seminary of Kontum, Pastor of Phương Nghĩa, Secretary of the episcopal and  obtained his Licentiate in Liturgy from  the Institut Catholique de Paris, France

The Diocese of Kontum is the  suffragan of Hue. It covers an area of ​​25,240 sq km. Has 1,775,200 inhabitants, including 300,649 Catholics, in 88 parishes, served by 169 priests (119 diocesan and 50 religious), 15 Brothers and 462 Sisters. For the present there are  79 major seminarians.

The Holy Father has also  appointed Rev. Peter do Huỳnh Văn Hai, Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Philosophy at the Major Seminary of Can Tho the new bishop of the Diocese of Vinh Long, Vietnam. 

Rev Peter Huỳnh Văn Hai, was born May 18, 1954 in Bến Three, Diocese of Vĩnh Long. In 1966 he entered the Minor Seminary of Vinh Long and then  the Major Seminary of St. Sulpice Vinh Long. In 1978 he returned to his family because of the historical and political circumstances. In 1991 he returned to the seminary of Vinh Long, to complete his seminary studies. He was ordained priest on 31 August 1994 for the diocese of Vinh Long.

As an ordained priest he pursued his studies at the Institut Catholique in Paris, in France and  obtained  a doctorate in philosophy.  He was then  responsible for the vocation promotion in the Diocese of Vĩnh Long.

From 2008 he was the  Professor of Philosophy at the Major Seminary of Can Tho and the major seminary in Hochiminh City.  Since 2012 he was serving as the  Vice-Rector of the Major Seminary of Can Tho.

The diocese of Vĩnh Long  is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Hochiminh Ville. It has an area of ​​6,772 square kilometers and a population of 3,976,552, of whom 199,404 are Catholics. There are 209 parishes, served by 205 priests (179 diocesan and 26 religious), 43 Brothers and 732 Sisters. The are 78 major seminarians.

 The diocese of Vĩnh Long was  vacant since August 17, 2013, following the sudden death of the  Msgr. Thomas Nguyen Van Tân and is  currently governed by a diocesan administrator.