The prime minister of Vietnam will meet Pope Benedict XVI on January 25. The meeting will be the first meeting between a top Vietnamese official and a pontiff, an unofficial Vatican source has reported.

The prime minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, is scheduled to visit Italy on an official invitation of Italy's prime minister Romano Prodi.

During the visit, Nguyen will also meet Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican. They are expected to discuss matters including diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The meeting of the head of Roman Catholic and the Nguyen was described by the Vatican official "as a sign of improving relations after decades of tensions" between both parties, Thanhnien News has reported.

The Vietnamese government confirmed the date of the prime minister's meeting with the head of Roman Catholic Church.

Ever since Pope Benedict XVI was appointed in 2005, he has expressed his intentions to formalise ties with Asian countries which do not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, particularly communist Vietnam and China.