Diocese of Hung Hoa · Lao Cai – Lai Chau Deanery
Lai Chau Catholic Parish
A Catholic community in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam, serving the faithful of Lai Chau province since the 1960s.
Who we are
Lai Chau Catholic Parish (Giáo xứ Lai Châu) is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Hung Hoa, located in Tan Phong ward, Lai Chau province. The community began with Catholic families from northern provinces who settled in Lai Chau in 1964–1966. Its patron is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (feast day: 15 August).
The parish includes 7 local communities with about 1.129 faithful according to the Diocese of Hung Hoa. A new Pastoral Center was blessed and inaugurated by Bishop Dominic Hoang Minh Tien on 9 June 2026.
Legal status
The parish is a religious organization affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Hung Hoa. Its establishment was approved by the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee in Official Letter No. 1717/UBND-TH dated 21 August 2020, under Vietnam's Law on Belief and Religion (2016), with 2.791 faithful at the time of approval. The parish operates on a not-for-profit basis: it carries out no commercial activity, and its resources come from voluntary offerings of parishioners and benefactors. This website does not accept online donations.
View the approval letter (scan, personal data redacted) · Parish profile on the Diocese of Hung Hoa website
What we do
- Worship and sacraments – daily and Sunday Masses at the parish church and in outlying communities, Eucharistic adoration, and the major feasts of the Church year.
- Education – catechism classes for children (school year opens each September), preparation for adult catechumens and for marriage.
- Children and youth – the Eucharistic Youth Movement, summer camps and the Mid-Autumn Festival for children, and youth service activities.
- Charity and community service – visiting the elderly, the sick and families in difficulty; volunteer charity meals; parish fundraising through members' own labour. More
- Parish groups – Ca đoàn Cecilia, Ca đoàn Đa Minh, Hội Kèn đồng, Hội Trống, Hội Mân Côi, Hội Gia trưởng, Thiếu nhi Thánh Thể, Giới trẻ (names in Vietnamese).
Leadership
- Pastor: Rev. Giuse Nguyễn Văn Thịnh (since 07/2022) – legally responsible for this website.
- Associate pastor: Rev. Giuse Đào Văn Thao (since 06/2026).
- The Parish Council, the parish and community committees, and the leaders of each parish group assist the pastor.