Also known as the Martyrs of Tonkin and Cochinchina and also known as Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc and Companions. These are saints who died between 1745 and 1862.
These good people fall into a few groupings: Dominican and Jesuit missionaries during the 18th century; and those killed in the political persecutions of the 19th century. It is estimated that between 130,000 and 300,000 were martyred during this time, but Saint Pope John Paul II decided to canonize both those whose names are known and unknown giving them a single feast day.
An approximation of the 117 martyrs includes: 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish Dominicans and 10 French members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society.
A few of these martyrs are listed below:
St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc - priest who was beheaded in 1839
St. Agnes Lê Thị Thành - the only non=clergy member to be among the 117 Vietnamese martrys. She lived a quiet, Christian life with her husband and seven children.
St. Joseph Marchand - A French missionary who served in Vietnam for several years and member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. He suffered "death by a thousand cuts."
St. Pierre-Rose-Ursule Dumoulin-Borie - a French missionary priest and member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society.