# Roman Catholic Diocese of Vinh

The Diocese of Vinh (Latin: Dioecesis Vinhensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in central Vietnam. The Most Reverend Alphonse Nguyễn Hữu Long was appointed bishop on December 22, 2018.
The diocese covers an area of 16,499 km$^2$, and is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Hanoi.
Assumption Cathedral at Xã Đoài in Nghi Diên commune is the cathedral of the diocese.

## History

The circuit (trấn) of Nghệ An was evangelized by Jesuit missionaries as early as in 1629, especially by Girolamo Maiorica. After the Apostolic Vicariate of Tonkin (Đàng Ngoài) was created in 1659, MEP missionaries were assigned to Nghệ An trấn. In 1846, the Vicariate of South Tonkin (Nam Đàng Ngoài) was established, covering the area of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh provinces as well as northern Quảng Bình province. It has been renamed Vinh in 1924 and elevated to a diocese in 1960. In 2006, the other part of Quảng Bình province, south of Gianh River and Son River, was officially transferred from Archdiocese of Huế to the Diocese of Vinh after decades under Vinh's de facto supervision following the Partition of Vietnam. After being split to establish the Diocese of Hà Tĩnh in 2018, the Diocese of Vinh currently covers Nghệ An Province only.

## Ordinaries
### Vicars Apostolic of Southern Tonking (1846-1924)

| Vicar apostolic | Vicar apostolic | Period in office | Status |
| 1 | Bishop Jean-Denis Gauthier, M.E.P. | March 27, 1846 – December 08, 1877 | Died in office |
| 2 | Bishop Yves-Marie Croc, M.E.P. | December 08, 1877 – October 11, 1885 | Died in office |
| 3 | Bishop Louis-Marie Pineau, M.E.P. | May 21, 1886 – June 02, 1910 | Resigned |
| 4 | Bishop François Belleville, M.E.P. | February 09, 1911 – July 07, 1912 | Died in office |
| 5 | Bishop André-Léonce-Joseph Eloy, M.E.P. | December 11, 1912 – December 03, 1924 | Remained as vicar apostolic of Vinh. |

### Vicars Apostolic of Vinh (1924-1960)

| Vicar apostolic | Vicar apostolic | Period in office | Status | Reference |
| 5 | Bishop André-Léonce-Joseph Eloy, M.E.P. | December 03, 1924 – July 30, 1947 | Died in office | |
| 6 | Bishop Jean-Baptiste Trần Hữu Ðức | June 14, 1951 – November 24, 1960 | Remained as bishop of Vinh. | |

### Bishops of Vinh (1960-present)

| Bishop | Bishop | Period in office | Status |
| 1 | Bishop Jean-Baptiste Trần Hữu Ðức | November 24, 1960 – January 05, 1971 | Died in office |
| 2 | Bishop Pierre-Marie Nguyễn Năng | January 05, 1971 – July 06, 1978 | Died in office |
| 3 | Bishop Pierre-Jean Trần Xuân Hạp | January 10, 1979 – December 11, 2002 | Resigned |
| 4 | Bishop Paul-Marie Cao Ðình Thuyên | December 11, 2002 – May 13, 2010 | Resigned |
| 5 | Bishop Paul Nguyễn Thái Hợp, O.P. | May 13, 2010 – December 22, 2018 | Resigned |
| 6 | Bishop Alphonse Nguyễn Hữu Long, P.S.S. | December 22, 2018 – present | Current bishop |

#### Coadjutor Vicar Apostolics of Southern Tonking (1848-1877)

| Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic | Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic | Period in office | Reference |
| 1 | Bishop Guillaume-Clément Masson, M.E.P. | May 23, 1848 – July 24, 1853 | |
| 2 | Bishop Yves-Marie Croc, M.E.P. | September 04, 1866 – December 08, 1877 | |

#### Coadjutor Bishops of Vinh (1963-2000)

| Coadjutor Bishops | Coadjutor Bishops | Coadjutor Bishops | Coat of Arms | Period in office | Reference |
| 1 | | Bishop Paul Trần Ðình Nhiên | | February 05, 1963 – March 24, 1969 | |
| 2 | | Bishop Paul-Marie Cao Ðình Thuyên | | July 06, 1992 – December 11, 2000 | |