About Our Lady of Vietnam · Hampton, Virginia
Our Lady of Vietnam (officially Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam) is a Vietnamese Catholic chapel in Hampton, Virginia, belonging to the Diocese of Richmond. Founded in 1993 by the Vietnamese community of Hampton Roads, it serves as a spiritual home for Vietnamese Catholic faithful on the Virginia Peninsula, with all Masses celebrated in Vietnamese. The parish shares a pastor and a mailing address with its sister chapel in Norfolk, and is currently pastored by Rev. Joseph Phien Nguyen. It is named for Our Lady of La Vang, the beloved Marian apparition of 1798 who is honored as patroness of Vietnamese Catholics worldwide.
- Established
- 1993
- Patron
- Our Lady of La Vang (Our Lady of Vietnam)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Phien Nguyen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Richmond (Deanery 4)
Why belong here
Our Lady of Vietnam is a close-knit Vietnamese Catholic chapel in the heart of the Virginia Peninsula, where every Mass is celebrated in Vietnamese and the faithful gather to keep alive the Marian devotion of La Vang that has sustained Vietnamese Catholics for more than two centuries. The parish is rooted in the sacrifices of a community that literally built its first church with its own hands, and it remains a place where families preserve their language, faith, and cultural identity across generations. For Vietnamese Catholics in Hampton, Newport News, and the surrounding Tidewater area, it is a spiritual home — and visitors are warmly welcomed.
Mass times at Our Lady of Vietnam
Weekly Mass schedule
Our Lady of Vietnam: A Vietnamese Catholic Chapel in Hampton, Virginia
Our Lady of Vietnam (officially listed by the Diocese of Richmond as Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam) is a Vietnamese-language Catholic chapel serving the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia. Founded in 1993, it is part of the Diocese of Richmond and shares its pastor with a sister chapel in Norfolk. The parish's name honors Our Lady of La Vang, the Marian apparition of 1798 who is venerated as patroness of Vietnamese Catholics.
- Type: Chapel (Roman-Latin Rite)
- Diocese: Richmond, Deanery 4
- Founded: 1993
- Language of liturgy: Vietnamese
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph Phien Nguyen
History of the Parish
The parish was founded in 1993 by Vietnamese Catholic faithful in Hampton Roads, who started small and built their first worship space with their own hands so that their children and fellow Catholics would have a place to hear God's Word in Vietnamese. As the community grew it outgrew its original home — a former Exxon gas station just off the Interstate that the parishioners themselves had converted into a church, complete with a hand-built outdoor altar. In the 2010s the community relocated to 318 Whealton Road, the former home of Rodef Shalom Synagogue, where it built a new worship space while keeping the existing auxiliary buildings.
- 1993: Parish founded by the Vietnamese Catholic community of Hampton Roads.
- Original worship site: a former Exxon gas station converted by the community into a church with an outdoor altar.
- 2010s: Congregation moves to 318 Whealton Road, the former Rodef Shalom Synagogue campus.
- 1995: Sister chapel Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam established in Norfolk.
The Patroness: Our Lady of La Vang
The parish takes its name from Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang), a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a Marian apparition reported in 1798 in La Vang, in what is now Hải Lăng District, Quảng Trị Province, central Vietnam. According to tradition, during a brutal persecution of Catholics under King Cảnh Thịnh, a group of refugees hiding in the jungle saw a beautiful lady — understood to be the Blessed Mother — who comforted them, taught them to find medicinal herbs, and promised to intercede for them. The original apparition site is now the Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang, and Our Lady of La Vang is honored as patroness of Vietnamese Catholics, with her feast day observed on August 15 (and August 27 in the Archdiocese of Huế).
- Marian apparition: August 17, 1798, in La Vang, Vietnam.
- Patronage: Vietnamese Catholics; the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Huế.
- Shrine: Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam.
- Feast day: August 15 (general), August 27 (Archdiocese of Huế).
Mass and Worship Schedule
All Masses at Our Lady of Vietnam are celebrated in Vietnamese. The Diocese of Richmond lists the chapel's current Mass schedule as Sunday morning and two weekday evenings. The Mass times on third-party aggregators have at times shown Wednesday and Friday Masses at 7:00 PM; the Diocese of Richmond currently lists them at 6:00 PM. Parishioners and visitors are encouraged to confirm times with the parish office before attending.
- Sunday: 8:30 AM (Vietnamese)
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM (Vietnamese)
- Friday: 6:00 PM (Vietnamese)
Clergy and Staff
The parish is served by Rev. Joseph Phien Nguyen, who also pastors the sister chapel in Norfolk. The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the parish shares a single Norfolk mailing address (1806 Ashland Ave, Norfolk, VA 23509-1236) with its sister chapel.
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph Phien Nguyen
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tuesday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sister Chapel in Norfolk
The Hampton chapel is part of a pair of Vietnamese Catholic missions under the same pastor. Its sister chapel, also called Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam, is located at 409 Campostella Road, Norfolk, VA 23509, and was founded in 1995. Together the two chapels serve Vietnamese Catholics across the Hampton Roads region, sharing clergy and a common mailing address.
- Sister chapel: Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam, Norfolk
- Address: 409 Campostella Rd, Norfolk, VA 23509
- Founded: 1995
- Shared pastor: Rev. Joseph Phien Nguyen
Contact and Location
The chapel is located at 318 Whealton Road in Hampton, near the city's western border with Newport News and just off the Interstate. The mailing address for both this chapel and its sister in Norfolk is 1806 Ashland Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23509-1236.
- Street address: 318 Whealton Road, Hampton, VA 23666
- Mailing address: 1806 Ashland Ave, Norfolk, VA 23509-1236
- Parish phone: (757) 232-1424
- Parish email: [email protected]