This vintage Vietnamese Catholic altar cloth features a central dark red velvet cross featuring a central Christogram IHS (the ancient symbol for Jesus Christ). Around the IHS symbol are silk-embroidered flowers. This would have decorated the front of the altar. This is an exceptionally beautiful early 20th century cloth and is among the oldest we have. Regrettably its condition reflects its age and use; it is very worn. Most people associate Catholicism in Viet Nam with the French colonial period, which is very much the case. However, Jesuits from all over Europe brought Catholicism to Asia 500 years before that. The Catholic tradition in Viet Nam and all the other Catholic populations of Asia is well established.