HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 6, 2025 – For the first time in history, more than 800 pastors and ministry leaders from every evangelical denomination and church in northern Vietnam are preparing to come together for prayer, encouragement, and training. The remarkable display of unity will take place at the Vietnam Pastors’ Gathering in Ha Long on Oct. 21 – 23.
“I am grateful to the churches for their desire to work together and come alongside each other. I am also thankful to the government for giving evangelical churches the freedom to gather for such an important moment,” said Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse. “I deeply appreciate the incredible advances in religious freedom that we have experienced in this beautiful country.”
The Vietnam Pastors’ Gathering is being organized by BGEA and the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North). Throughout the three-day event, attendees will be encouraged and equipped to continue sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ as they hear from speakers from Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States.
“We are excited about the Pastors’ Gathering for church leaders and are grateful to partner with BGEA to host the gathering. We are already starting to experience the unique unity and joy that will come from this time together,” said Rev. Bui Van San, president of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North). “Not only will this be a historic event, with large numbers of leaders from all of the churches in the evangelical community in the North of Vietnam, but it also gives us the opportunity to launch the preliminary groundwork for an upcoming evangelistic event in Hanoi with Franklin Graham in 2027.”
After Franklin Graham first preached in Hanoi in 2017, the churches invited him to return to Vietnam. The government then gave him permission to share the Gospel in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2023 and in Can Tho in December 2024. Rev. Graham is looking forward to returning to Hanoi in 2027 to share the hope of the Gospel once again.
“I want the people of Vietnam to know that God loves and cares for them,” said Rev. Graham. “We also want to encourage pastors and churches across Vietnam, so I am especially grateful to the leaders of this great country who are allowing us to bring these pastors together in Ha Long.”
Franklin Graham cares deeply for the people of Vietnam. He has helped hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families over the past 29 years by providing disaster relief and humanitarian aid in Jesus’ Name. Most recently, Samaritan’s Purse, the international disaster relief organization that Rev. Graham leads, airlifted over 40,000 kilos of emergency aid to Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi struck the country last year. The kitchen kits, blankets, solar lights, and water filters, along with other locally procured supplies, helped over 100,000 people in six provinces, and the organization is continuing to work in many of the worst-hit communities to rehabilitate medical clinics that were destroyed by the storm.
“The destruction from Typhoon Yagi was heartbreaking, and I’m thankful Ha Long Bay, one of the natural wonders of the world, has recovered and we will be able to hold the upcoming Pastors’ Gathering in such a beautiful place, “said Rev. Nguyen Huu Mac, vice president of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North), and President of Hanoi Bible College. “It will be an incredible time of fellowship and recommitment to prayer, as well as an opportunity to look forward and begin preparing for the return of Franklin Graham and the 2027 Festival in Ha Noi.”
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MEDIA CONTACT
For questions, please contact Mark Barber at 828-386-5803 or mebarber@bgea.org.
PHOTOS AND VIDEO
To download high resolution photos and video, visit Media.BillyGraham.org/Vietnam-Pastors-Gathering-Press-Room/.
ABOUT FRANKLIN GRAHAM AND THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION
Founded by Billy Graham in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world. Franklin Graham’s first evangelistic event was in 1989, and since then, he has held more than 345 outreaches in 56 countries, with 20 taking place in Asia. This year, Franklin Graham has preached in Brussels, Belgium; Addia Ababa, Ethiopia; and in London, England. He is looking forward to sharing a message of hope and God’s love in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nagaland, India; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Lima, Peru; and Madrid, Spain, in the coming months.