Vietnam's communist Government has bowed to church pressure and returned the former Vatican embassy in Hanoi to the Church "to show their good will and respect for the Pope", writes Ellen Teague.

Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi confirmed the news this week in an open letter where he expressed special thanks to Pope Benedict XVI and to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, who followed recent Catholic protests in Hanoi "closely and attentively".

For six weeks, thousands of Catholic laity and clergy held daily prayer vigils at the 2.5-acre site, which was occupied by the country's apostolic nuncio until 1954 but used in recent decades as a night club and car park. Supporting those taking part in the vigils, the archbishop took the view that, "the legal property of places of religious belief and of religious organisations is protected by law".

Only last weekend the state-run media accused the Catholic Church of inciting confrontation. International attention has clearly influenced the about-turn, as Archbishop Ngo acknowledged in his letter.

Also significant was the historic meeting in Rome two weeks ago between the Pope and Vietnam's Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung.