This week I traveled to Viêt Nam with Minear, our Connecting Peoples Coordinator, to meet with the Vietnam Mennonite Church (Hội Thánh Mennonite Việt Nam) at their General Office in Ho Chi Minh city. The purpose of our visit was to reestablish collaboration between MCC and VMC for the purpose of resuming Vietnamese Mennonite participation in MCC’s Global Service Learning programs.

The Việt Nam Mennonite Church was founded in 1964 and currently represents 109 congregations in the country with approximately 10,000 members. This national church body was legally recognized by the Viêt Nam government in 2007 and is a member of Mennonite World Conference.

The primary focus of our meeting was on IVEP/YAMEN and forming a selection committee for the 2026-2027 class, but we also shared information on the Seed and Seek programs. Vietnamese Mennonite participants in these programs will be sent out through the MCC Cambodia & Myanmar office in Phnom Penh.

The Viêt Nam Church Leaders expressed their grief at the closure of the MCC Viêt Nam program during the COVID-19 pandemic and were very glad that MCC had initiated reconnection. We also had a good discussion about the history of MCC/VMC, the current situation in Viêt Nam, and MCC’s work in Cambodia & Myanmar.

We’re planning a follow up visit in September to assist with the selection process and provide other supports. I’m also going to ask our International Seek Facilitator, Oscar Suarez, to plan a visit to VMC to promote Seek after the current cohort heads home.