Catholic saint biography
St. Dominic Nguyễn Văn Hạnh
- Lived:
- 1772-1838 — Vietnam
A scoped Catholic liturgical calendar date has not been verified. The page heading and execution anniversary are not treated as a feast; a shared celebration requires its own calendar citation.
Read the sources for this biography
Biography
Dominic Nguyễn Văn Hạnh was born at Năng A in Nghệ An. Raised in a Catholic family, he hoped from childhood to serve with the Dominican missionaries active in the region. Bishop Ignacio Delgado accepted him into religious formation and placed him under a priest's care. After ordination, Dominic joined the Order of Preachers and made his profession in 1826.
When persecution intensified, Dominic continued pastoral work while hiding at Quần Anh Hạ. Two local people helped move him to Kiên Trung but later betrayed him. His final imprisonment led to an execution shared with the elderly priest Bernard Vũ Văn Duệ in 1838. He was canonized in 1988.
From the Saint Discovery blog
Keep exploring your faith
Practical guides to prayer, the saints, and living the Catholic faith.
Why Is St. Thérèse the Patron Saint of Missions?
Why is St. Thérèse patron saint of missions? Discover her support for missionaries and practical ways to participate in the Church's mission from home.
Sharing the faithRead the article Everyday faithWhat Is Evangelization? A Catholic Guide to Sharing the Faith
What is evangelization? Learn the Catholic meaning, the new evangelization, and practical ways to share your faith with respect, confidence, and love.
Sharing the faithRead the articleFrom reading to reflection
What will you carry with you?
After reading about St. Dominic Nguyễn Văn Hạnh, take a moment to consider:
- Which event or decision in this life stood out to you?
- What virtue would you like to understand or practice more deeply?
- What small action could you take today in response?
These are reflection prompts from Saint Discovery, not quotations from the saint.
Sources and further reading
- Archdiocese of Hanoi: Dominic Nguyễn Văn Hạnh ↗
- Holy See: individual register of the 117 Vietnamese martyrs (24) ↗
Biography source comparison recorded on . This is an AI-assisted comparison, not independent human or ecclesiastical approval.
What the recorded review covers
Individual Catholic institutional source review; original concise factual summary. AI-assisted institutional-source comparison; no qualified human review is claimed. Compared canonical and source names, aliases, clergy or lay status, family relationships and martyrdom details against all 685 baseline canonical or archived identities (625 published) and all prior directory batches. Holy See register number 24 is a distinct individual; source-name variants count as one person.
A source list helps you check an account; it does not establish that every claim is certain. Follow the biography’s qualifications about historical evidence, traditions and feast calendars.
Suggest a correction to this biography
How we research these pages and handle corrections · Directory corrections log