The diocese of Phan Thiêt is a Roman Catholic diocese of Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

. The bishop is Paul Nguyễn Thanh Hoan, since 2005. On July 25, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

 selected Monsignor Joseph Vũ Duy Thống to be bishop upon Hoan's retirement.

The creation of the diocese in present form was declared January 30, 1975.

The diocese covers an area of 7,854 km², and is a suffragan diocese

Suffragan Diocese

A suffragan diocese is a diocese in the Catholic Church that is overseen not only by its own diocesan bishop but also by a metropolitan bishop. The metropolitan is always an archbishop who governs his own archdiocese...

 of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh city.

By 2004, the diocese of Phan Thiêt had about 147,000 believers (13.3% of the population), 80 priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

s and 64 parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

es.

Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....

 Cathedral (or Lạc Đạo Cathedral (old name)) in Phan Thiet

Phan Thiết

Phan Thiết town is the capital of Binh Thuan province, in southeastern Vietnam. Phan Thiet is a municipality in central, south central sector, however, the development plan to 2025, it would be municipality Southeast Vietnam. The population of Phan Thiết city in 2005 is roughly 350,000 and is...

 city (Binh Thuan Province

Binh Thuan Province

Bình Thuận is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the country's South Central Coast, not far from Ho Chi Minh City. It is sometimes seen as part of the Southeast Region. Binh Thuan is known for its scenery and for its good beaches...

) has been assigned as the Cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

 of the diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

.

There are 238 sisters from Lovers of the Holy Cross

Lovers of the Holy Cross

The Lovers of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic female congregation, founded in 1670 by the first vicar Apostolic in Tong-king and Cochin China Pierre Lambert de la Motte...

congregation doing active social and missionary work within the Diocese.