How can the Bible be an accessible resource for the surge of church plants in Vietnam?
As more and more churches are being planted in Vietnam, the demand for easy-to-access resources increases. Local church leaders and local Christians thirst to improve their biblical understanding.
Now a new easy-to-use study Bible is helping believers Open The Bible in Vietnam.
Vietnamese Bible translator, Callie*, reviewed the Study Bible after receiving her Masters in Theology.
Here’s what the Saigon local had to say about being part of the project.
“This could be the first-ever study Bible in the Vietnamese language.” –Callie, Bible translator, Vietnam
“When I learned more about this project, I was convinced that this is what the church in Vietnam needs,” Callie said.
“I did research and knew that there was no Study Bible that was edited by Vietnamese Christians [before this].
“What we had at the time were translated materials. One of the strengths of the Vietnamese Study Bible is that it will be more updated with the context of Christianity within the country,” she added.
Thu* and her husband planted a church in a province in Southeastern Vietnam 10 years ago. She says the new believers she knows are eagerly awaiting the new Bible.
“We still remember the hardship from the first days we went [this province],” Thu said.
“There were no Christians in the area. With perseverance, we invited local families to come and hear the gospel… some put their faith in God. We continued to teach and help them grow in the word, then baptized them.
“Our brothers and sisters are very thirsty for the Word of God. However, reading the Bible on their own, many cannot understand.
“For many in our church, the content of the Bible is way too difficult, and explanations are desperately needed. So, I go with them verse by verse, very slowly…”
When Thu received her copy of the Gospel of Luke in the Bible Study format — a resource that Vietnam Bible Society distributed in 2020 and earned great feedback among many Christians — she was very pleased to see how the contents were presented.
“I really like the notes and the explanations. I am sure anyone can pick up the Study Bible and read it for themselves, enjoying the help of these notes and explanations … standard Vietnamese Bibles are too difficult for most of our church members to read and understand by themselves. Therefore, I think this little Gospel of Luke in Study Bible format, and in the future, the whole Bible in Study Bible format will benefit our Bible study group a lot.”
28-year old Bible college student, Trung* also received his copy of the Gospel of Luke in the Bible Study format and is really pleased with what he’s read so far.
“Those who study the word of God will benefit from the many features of this Study Bible,” Trung said. “The footnotes and illustrations help the readers easily imagine or visualise the background in which the biblical story happened.”
For Trung, studying the Bible is often met with encountering words and contexts that are difficult to understand or relate to and will need other resources like a Bible exegesis or commentary books. He explains that for the average reader, “this is too technical and very discouraging. If they have the Study Bible, which has integrated the explanation and commentary in the footnotes, it is more convenient.”
Importantly, the work done on the revised edition in 2023 saw improved content addressing:
Vietnam Bible Society has also adapted this revision with new:
This new Bible will help Vietnamese believers understand God’s word and God’s love — inside and outside of the church.
You can be praying for:
You can also donate to support this project and help people in Asia access the Bible.
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*Names of persons have been changed for privacy reasons.
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