It's been 23 years since a prophet has visited Vietnam.
The first time was in 1966, when then-Elder Hinckley traveled to the country and offered a prayer on the land in behalf of the people. It would be 30 years before he would return to the area as president of the Church.
On Nov. 17, 2019, President Russell M. Nelson stopped in Ho Chi Minh to speak with 432 Latter-day Saints. In a Church News video, President Nelson spoke of how the Church has grown over the recent decades, stating that President Hinckley could "forsee what we are seeing tonight."
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who is accompanying President Nelson on his ministry, spoke about the hope there is for the future of the Church in Vietnam.
"The Church is young here. It's young in terms of its years of presence ... but it's vibrant," he said. "And because of that, there's great hope for the future."
President Nelson and Elder Christofferson also noted that the blessings promised to Latter-day Saints are the same no matter their location.
"The Lord said in the Latter-days though our numbers may be few, yet our numbers will be armed with righteousness and the power of God and great glory," said President Nelson. "So we'll probably always be a minority."
Elder Christofferson added that there are great things ahead.
"We are the leaven in the loaf, as opposed to the loaf, but it makes all the difference and they'll make a great difference," he said. "You can feel it, can't you? — what's coming because of their leaven, in this society, in this nation."
