Ando Isamu

It was August 11. I arrived in Phanh Thiet early morning, before 8:00 AM. The wide street before the Catholic Cathedral was already bustling with people coming from the provinces. Today a new Catholic Bishop for Phan Thiet diocese was going to be born.

This was the first time in the 26 years of communist rule that Phan Thiet will have a new bishop officially inaugurated. The event attracted the interest and curiosity of thousands of Catholics and citizens alike. Officials were also invited to the ceremony.

Fr. Hoan, the newly inaugurated bishop, has been for long years a friend of Japa Vietnam. In 1978 he had been sent to Hat Tam Tan by his superiors to take responsibility for the Thanh Linh parish church. From there he became bishop.

Hat Tam Tan is a very poor region with a small concentration of ethnic minorities. Leper (Ham Sen disease) is still a problem. Fr. Hoan dedicated himself to look for ways to solve the problems of the poor and found the way in promoting rural development. About 3 km away there were some small currents of water flowing from far away mountains and decided to build a natural dam. In the early 90s he obtained a fund from Germany's Misereor and built the biggest natural water reservoir in that area. That started to attract the interest of communist officials.

About 9 years ago we visited the place and heard from Fr. Hoan his overall program for alleviating poverty there. Since then, Japa Vietnam has been assisting in leveling almost 300 Ha of land to give farming land to poor ethnic families, in building vital roads and small bridges. We were able to get the cooperation of other Australian and Japanese NGOs. Fr. Hoan changed the face of a barren place and has provided new opportunities and hope to the local people. The dam serves as a big pond for the cultivation of fish, the land now produces rice and sugar cane, and there is also a big cow bank.

Local officials have been convinced that the Catholic Church really cares about the poor people, so much that they invite Fr. Hoan to their seminars for rural development. It was not wonder that in the ceremony of the consecration of bishop Hoan, officials also participated and offered publicly their congratulations. Does it mean that a "new bridge" had been built between the Catholic Church and the communist officials?

Cheers to bishop Hoan!