Article published by Global Sisters Report

A great number of sisters in Vietnam are at a working age and need more ongoing formation to maintain their ministries, according to speakers at an online webinar.

The webinar, organized by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (or CARA) in the United States, the Conference of Major Superiors in Vietnam (or CMSV) and the International Union of Superiors General (or UISG) in Rome, aimed to discuss the status of religious life in Vietnam and find possible ways to support Vietnamese nuns.

The March 20 event attracted 230 participants, many from Vietnam. 

Lovers of the Holy Cross Sr. Mary Thu Do, one of four speakers, said while there has been a sharp decline in the number of religious women in Western countries, women's congregations in Vietnam "enjoy a large number of young members who are actively engaged in various ministries." 

She said Vietnam had some 25,000 nuns in 2020, "an encouraging number in a country of 90 million people." The number of nuns compared with Catholics increased from 10 in 1995 to 35 in 2020 for every 10,000 Catholics.