Saint Luke Vũ Bá Loan was born in 1756 in Trại Bút, Bái Vàng parish, now part of Bút Đông parish, Châu Giang commune, Duy Tiên district, Hà Nam province. From a young age, he was admitted to study at the parish house. He was ordained a priest during the reign of the Tây Sơn dynasty.

From the time of his priestly ordination until he received the grace of martyrdom in 1840, Father Luke Loan always lived a virtuous and wise life. Consequently, Bishop Khiêm praised him, saying: "Among the Vietnamese priests from the past to the present, there has been no priest equal to him." Father Luke Loan often urged the faithful to do good works and himself set a shining example for everyone to follow.

In 1829, Father Loan took on the responsibility of shepherding the Kẻ Sở parish. He dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the care of the parish and fulfilled all his duties completely. On December 6, 1840, at the age of 84, Father Loan was arrested. Two petty mandinals named Cang and Kiếng, who were imprisoned for embezzling public funds, sought to atone for their crimes by performing a meritorious deed. They captured Father Loan and handed him over to the provincial mandarin in Hanoi on December 6, 1840.

When he was forced to step over the cross to renounce his faith, he firmly refused, saying: "At my advanced age, would I still cling to life and fear death? Being a senior priest, how could I possibly step over the cross as the mandarin demands?" When the faithful visited him after his arrest, he told them: "To die for the faith has been my long-held desire; this moment fills me with great joy."

On June 5, 1841, Emperor Minh Mạng ordered Father Loan to be beheaded at the Cầu Giấy gate, the same place where other priests had also been executed before him. After his martyrdom, the faithful from Kẻ Chuôn, Chân Sơn, and Kẻ Sét brought his remains back for burial.

On May 27, 1900, Pope Leo XIII raised Father Luke Vũ Bá Loan to the rank of Blessed, and on June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized him a Saint.