The Most Famous
RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Vietnam
This page contains a list of the greatest Vietnamese Religious Figures. The pantheon dataset contains 3,187 Religious Figures, 5 of which were born in Vietnam. This makes Vietnam the birth place of the 57th most number of Religious Figures behind South Korea, and Morocco.
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Vietnamese Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Vietnamese Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926 - 2022)
With an HPI of 66.96, Thích Nhất Hạnh is the most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages on wikipedia.
Thích Nhất Hạnh ( TIK NAHT HAHN; Vietnamese: [tʰǐk̟ ɲə̌t hâjŋ̟ˀ] , Huế dialect: [tʰɨt̚˦˧˥ ɲək̚˦˧˥ hɛɲ˨˩ʔ]; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, historically recognized as the main inspiration for engaged Buddhism. Known as the "father of mindfulness", Nhất Hạnh was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism. In the mid-1960s, Nhất Hạnh co-founded the School of Youth for Social Services and created the Order of Interbeing. He was exiled from South Vietnam in 1966 after expressing opposition to the war and refusing to take sides. In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Nhất Hạnh established dozens of monasteries and practice centers and spent many years living at the Plum Village Monastery, which he founded in 1982 in southwest France near Thénac, traveling internationally to give retreats and talks. Nhất Hạnh promoted deep listening as a nonviolent solution to conflict and sought to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of environments that sustain and promote peace. He coined the term "engaged Buddhism" in his book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. After a 39-year exile, Nhất Hạnh was permitted to visit Vietnam in 2005. In 2018, he returned to Vietnam to his "root temple", Từ Hiếu Temple, near Huế, where he lived until his death in 2022, at the age of 95.
2. Andrew Dũng-Lạc (1795 - 1839)
With an HPI of 55.24, Andrew Dũng-Lạc is the 2nd most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Andrew Trần Dũng-Lạc (Vietnamese: Anrê Trần An Dũng Lạc, Vietnamese pronunciation: [aːn˧re˧ tɕən˨˩ aːn˧ zuŋ˧˥ lak˧˨]), French: André Dũng-Lạc; c. 1795 – 21 December 1839) was a Vietnamese Roman Catholic priest. He was executed by beheading during the reign of Minh Mạng. He is a saint and martyr of the Catholic Church.
3. Ngô Đình Thục (1897 - 1984)
With an HPI of 55.12, Ngô Đình Thục is the 3rd most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục (Vietnamese pronunciation: [ŋo ɗîŋ̟ tʰùk]) (6 October 1897 – 13 December 1984) was a Vietnamese Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Huế in the Republic of Vietnam from 1960 until 1968. He later lived in exile in Europe due to unrest in his country and became a sedevacantist bishop who was excommunicated twice by the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church but is believed to have reconciled with the Holy See before his death in 1984. He was a member of the Ngô family who ruled South Vietnam in the years leading up to the Vietnam War and was the founder of Dalat University. While Thục was in Rome attending the second session of the Second Vatican Council, the 1963 South Vietnamese coup overthrew and assassinated his younger brothers, Ngô Đình Diệm (who was president of South Vietnam) and Ngô Đình Nhu. Thục was unable to return to Vietnam and lived the rest of his life exiled in Italy, France, and the United States. During his exile, he was involved with Traditionalist Catholic movements and consecrated a number of bishops without the Vatican's approval for the Palmarian and Sedevacantist movements. Today, various Independent Catholic and sedevacantist groups claim to have derived their apostolic succession from Thục.
4. Nguyễn Văn Thuận (1928 - 2002)
With an HPI of 53.55, Nguyễn Văn Thuận is the 4th most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Phanxicô Xaviê Nguyễn Văn Thuận, also known as Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận (pronounced [ŋʷjə̌ˀn van tʰwə̂ˀn] ; 17 April 1928 – 16 September 2002), was a Vietnamese cardinal in the Catholic Church. He was a nephew of South Vietnam's first president, Ngô Đình Diệm, and of Archbishop Ngô Đình Thục. Pope Francis named him as Venerable on 4 May 2017, a significant step on the road towards canonization.
5. Phạm Minh Mẫn (b. 1934)
With an HPI of 47.24, Phạm Minh Mẫn is the 5th most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Jean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn (Vietnamese: Gioan Baotixita Phạm Minh Mẫn) (born 5 March 1934) is a Vietnamese cardinal in the Catholic Church and was the Archbishop of Hồ Chi Minh City from March 1998 to March 2014.
6. Pierre Nguyễn Văn Nhơn (b. 1938)
With an HPI of 46.87, Pierre Nguyễn Văn Nhơn is the 6th most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Pierre Nguyễn Văn Nhơn (Vietnamese: Phêrô Nguyễn Văn Nhơn; born 1 April 1938) is a Vietnamese prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hanoi from May 2010 to November 2018. A cardinal since February 2015, he was Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Đà Lạt from 1994 to 2010, and the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam from 2007 to 2013.
7. Joseph-Marie Trịnh Văn Căn (1921 - 1990)
With an HPI of 43.30, Joseph-Marie Trịnh Văn Căn is the 7th most famous Vietnamese Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Joseph-Marie Trịnh Văn Căn (19 March 1921 – 18 May 1990) was a Vietnamese cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Hanoi from 1978 until his death. He became a cardinal in 1979, ordained by Pope John Paul II. He was born in Ha Nam. In 1949, he was ordained a priest. At 1963, Pope John XXIII appointed him to be a Titular Archbishop of Aela and Coadjutor Archbishop of Hanoi. He became Archbishop of Hanoi in 1978, after the death of Joseph-Marie Trịnh Như Khuê. He died on May 18, 1990, after a heart attack. Successor by Paul Joseph Phạm Đình Tụng.
People
Pantheon has 7 people classified as Vietnamese religious figures born between 1795 and 1938. Of these 7, 2 (28.57%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Vietnamese religious figures include Phạm Minh Mẫn, and Pierre Nguyễn Văn Nhơn. The most famous deceased Vietnamese religious figures include Thích Nhất Hạnh, Andrew Dũng-Lạc, and Ngô Đình Thục. As of April 2024, 2 new Vietnamese religious figures have been added to Pantheon including Ngô Đình Thục, and Joseph-Marie Trịnh Văn Căn.
Living Vietnamese Religious Figures
Go to all RankingsDeceased Vietnamese Religious Figures
Go to all Rankings
Thích Nhất Hạnh
1926 - 2022
HPI: 66.96
Andrew Dũng-Lạc
1795 - 1839
HPI: 55.24
Ngô Đình Thục
1897 - 1984
HPI: 55.12
Nguyễn Văn Thuận
1928 - 2002
HPI: 53.55
Joseph-Marie Trịnh Văn Căn
1921 - 1990
HPI: 43.30
Newly Added Vietnamese Religious Figures (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Religious Figures were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Religious Figures since 1700.
