Vietnamese Martyrs

Vietnamese Martyrs (Vietnamese: Các Thánh Tử đạo Việt Nam), also known as the Martyrs of Tonkin and Cochinchina, collectively Martyrs of Annam or formerly Martyrs of Indochina, are saints of the Catholic Church who died between 1745 and 1862, and were canonized by Pope John Paul II. On June 19, 1988, thousands of overseas Vietnamese worldwide gathered at St. Peter's Square for the celebration of the canonization of 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, an event organized by Monsignor Trần Văn Hoài. Their memorial in the current General Roman Calendar, which refers to Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc and Companions (Vietnamese pronunciation: [zʊwŋ͡m laːk̚]), is on November 24, although many of these saints have a second memorial, having been beatified and inscribed on the local calendar prior to the canonization of the group. The Vatican estimates the number of Vietnamese martyrs at between 130,000 and 300,000. John Paul II decided to canonize both those whose names are known and unknown, giving them a single feast day.