LOS ANGELES – Vietnamese Southern Baptists gathered July 3-6 at the LAX Marriott to celebrate the 50 years since the first Vietnamese refugees arrived in the United States.
In that same year, 1975, the first Vietnamese Southern Baptist church was started in El Cajon, Calif.
This year’s celebration also included the 40th annual meeting of the Vietnamese (Southern) Baptist Union of North America, and the 2025 graduation ceremonies for VBTS, the Vietnamese Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, a northwest Dallas suburb.
“Recognizing the language and cultural needs of many first-generation leaders, the VBTS was founded to provide theological education in Vietnamese, equipping non-native-English speaking pastors to faithfully serve and lead Vietnamese Baptist Churches across North America and beyond,” The Union’s Executive Director Christian Phan Phuoc Lanh said. “Our faculty consists of experienced pastors and scholars who have earned their degrees from respected theological seminaries in the United States, bringing both academic excellence and practical ministry insight to the classroom.”
VBTS was started in 2022 by the Vietnamese Union and Dao Tran was appointed to be the first president. He retired in 2024 and Chuyen Tran was appointed to be his successor. Classes are online via Zoom.
“We attend the annual meeting in Los Angeles to be refreshed spiritually, equipped biblically, united communally and encouraged missionally,” Phan told Baptist Press.
“It provides a rare opportunity for Vietnamese Baptists across North America to gather in one place, building relationships, reconnecting, encouraging one another in the faith and celebrating 50 years of planting new Vietnamese Baptist churches in North America.”
With tracks in Vietnamese and in English, the nearly 1,200 attendees gathered around a theme of “His Wonderous Works,” based on Psalm 105:2.
A Prayer Night and Prayer Walk took place before the opening “to spiritually prepare the ground,” Phan said.
“We want to start our annual meeting with God through prayer. Prayer Night and Prayer Walk are not only a good tradition to keep but also an attitude of submission to God alone,” Phan said.
This year’s Vietnamese annual meeting officially began with a joint Vietnamese-English evening service Thursday, July 3, and continued through the joint closing session Sunday noon, July 6. The Marriott was chosen for the event because it allowed the Vietnamese to bring in typical Vietnamese meals.
In addition to about 150 youngsters enjoying a week of VBS and day camp fun, about 400 youth and young adults gathered for their program in English.
Both Vietnamese and English programs included worship services, workshops, business meeting and testimonies. Worship for both language tracks was led by worship teams from Texas and California.
The seven featured guest speakers included Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, plus many church leaders from across North America.
During the opening service, Iorg was translated by Tin Le. Phan was translated by Isaiah Hua.
Vietnamese speakers included Peter Le Hong Phuc, president of the Vietnamese Union; Son Cao Nguyen of Laural, Md., Phan’s assistant; and Chuyen Tran, president of the Vietnamese Baptist Theological Seminary (VBTS.)
English speakers included Phan; Steve Change, President of SOLA Network, a digital platform to help parents and youth pastors disciple youth and children; and Terrence Shay, family pastor at First Chinese Baptist Church in Walnut, Calif.
Specialized workshops were offered for pastors, women, youth leaders, and children’s ministry volunteers.
The Vietnamese annual meeting is a multi-faceted endeavor, Phan said. This year there were 12 core organizers and about 150 support workers, such as those who managed more than 1,000 buffet-style meals three times a day featuring traditional Vietnamese cuisine.
Highlights of this year’s annual gathering, Phan said, included: Commemorating 50 years since the first Vietnamese Baptist churches were planted in North America; a spirit of unity, renewal, and intergenerational worship; Vietnamese Baptist Theological Seminary (VBTS) graduation ceremony for 24 graduates in North America and 350 graduates in Vietnam; and Dung Xuan Pham selected as a director for the new North America Vietnamese Mission Board (NAVMB.
“An evident passion for missions was noticed, reinforced with calls to give, go and grow in evangelistic efforts locally and globally,” Phan said.
In addition, leaders challenged churches to “call out the called” and nurture 100 young pastors over the next 10 years.
“Every local church should raise up at least one young pastor through fervent prayer, establishing a fund for theological students, and having a budget to pay the salary of a young pastor to serve God with the church,” Phan said. “Parents need to encourage their children to dedicate themselves to serving God.”
Special guests for the four-day event: Pastors Hien Pham and Thanh Nguyen, both from the Southern Baptist Convention in Vietnam; several pastors from Vietnam; Hoon In representing GuideStone Financial Resources; Ezra Bae, Asian Network Strategist for the International Mission Board; and others from SBC entities.
Business matters
New officers were elected: President Cao Bao Tai, Highpoint (N.C.) Vietnamese Baptist Church; First Vice President Kieu Tuan Hue, Tacoma (Wash.) River of Grace church; Second Vice President Vo Van Giap, Eastview (Texas) Vietnamese Baptist Church.
Also elected: Kim Tranh as head of the conference organizing committee; Terry Bui as director of children’s ministry; and Pham Xuan Dung as director of the North America Vietnamese Mission Board.
“The North America Vietnamese Mission Board is a new department of the Vietnamese Fellowship,” Phan said. “The International Vietnamese Mission Board was established in 2005 in Seattle.”
Four motions were passed, nearly unanimously in each case: decreasing terms of board members from 15 to seven years “to create more opportunities for gifted pastors to be elected to the board of directors;” and increase from one to two meetings a year for all board directors to meet “to support and help complete the vision and goals set by the Executive Board.”
Two more: Former presidents are to comprise the committee that reviews candidates for president, and candidates must submit applications at least 45 days before the annual conference starts.
The Vietnamese Baptist Union of North America includes 10 ministry regions (eight in the U.S. and two in Canada), each with a regional representative. A $550,000 budget was approved to cover theological education, missions, youth ministries, women’s ministries, pastoral training and a retreat.
“Attendees described the event as ‘beyond expectations,’ spiritually uplifting, well-organized, and deeply encouraging,” Phan said. “We had a strong youth presence and enthusiastic children’s ministry. All credit and praise were attributed to God, in the spirit of thanksgiving for His wondrous works.
“The 2025 Vietnamese Baptist Union Conference in Los Angeles was not just a spiritual gathering,” the executive director continued. “It was a milestone celebration, a family reunion of faith and a mobilization for missions.
“As the Union looks toward the future, it reaffirms its commitment to discipleship, biblical leadership, and advancing the Gospel in Vietnamese and English-speaking communities across North America.”
The Vietnamese Union’s next annual conference is set for Dallas, Texas, with a theme of “Looking to Jesus” based on Hebrews 12:2.
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