Roman Catholic Diocese of Đà Lạt

The Diocese of Đà Lat (Dioecesis Dalatensis) is a Latin suffragan diocese of Roman Catholic church in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam, yet depends on the missionary Dicastery for Evangelization. Its cathedral episcopal see is Cathedral of Saint Nicholas of Bari, in the southern city of Da Lat, Lâm Đồng Province, Central Highlands.

Its present Bishop is Dominic Nguyễn Văn Mạnh, since September 16, 2019.

Statistics and extent
As per 2014, it pastorally served 368,487 Catholics (27.8% of 1,325,000 total) on 9,764 km2 in 87 parishes and 16 missions with 259 priests (143 diocesan, 116 religious), 1,413 lay religious (501 brothers, 912 sisters) and 69 seminarians. Many of its faithful belong to ethnic minorities.

History

 * The bishopric was created on November 24, 1960, as Diocese of Đà Lat / Ðàlạt (Tiếng Việt) / 大叻 (正體中文) / Dalaten(sis) (Latin), on territories split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Saigon and the then Apostolic Vicariate of Kontum
 * On 22 June 1967 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of Ban Mê Thuôt.

Ordinaries

 * Bishops of Đà Lat
 * Simon Hoà Nguyễn Văn Hiền (24 November 1960 – death 5 September 1973), previously Titular Bishop of Sagalassus (1955.09.20 – 1960.11.24) as Apostolic Vicar of Saigon (Vietnam) (1955.09.20 – 1960.11.24)
 * Barthélémy Nguyễn Sơn Lâm, P.S.S. (30 January 1975 – 23 March 1994), next Bishop of Thanh Hoá (Vietnam) (1994.03.23 – death 2003.06.09)
 * Pierre Nguyễn Văn Nhơn (23 March 1994 – 22 April 2010), also President of Episcopal Conference of Vietnam (2007 – 2013); succeeded as previous Coadjutor Bishop of Đà Lat (1991.10.11 – 1994.03.23); next Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hanoi, succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Hà Nôi (2010.05.13 – ...), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Tommaso Apostolo (2015.02.14 [2015.12.06] – ...)
 * Antoine Vũ Huy Chương (1 March 2011 – ...); previously Bishop of Hưng Hóa (Vietnam) (2003.08.05 – 2011.03.01)
 * Coadjutor Bishop (2017.04.08 – ...): Bishop-elect Dominic Nguyễn Văn Mạnh

Other secular clergy who became bishops

 * Paul Nguyễn Văn Hòa (priest here until 1968), appointed Bishop of Phan Thiết in 1975 and shortly after Bishop of Nha Trang (later President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Việt Nam)
 * Paul Bùi Văn Đọc, appointed Bishop of Mỹ Tho in 1999, later Coadjutor Archbishop of Hồ Chi Minh City, and subsequently succeeded as well as President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Việt Nam
 * Joseph Võ Đức Minh, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Nha Trang in 2005 and subsequently suceeded
 * Joseph Nguyễn Đức Cường, appointed Bishop of Thanh Hóa in 2018

Sources and external links

 * GCatholic with Google satellite photo - data for all sections
 * General Information on the diocese