Dominique Lefèbvre (1810–1865) was a French missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society to Vietnam and the bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Cochin and of the titular see Isauropolis, in partibus infidelium, during the 19th century.
His two terms of imprisonment during the reign of Emperor Thiệu Trị were a pretext for the first French naval interventions in the country.
In 1847, Cécille sent two warships (Gloire and Victorieuse) under Captains Lapierre and Charles Rigault de Genouilly to Tourane (Danang) to obtain the liberation of two imprisoned French missionaries, Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre (imprisoned for a second time as he had re-entered Vietnam secretly) and Duclos, and freedom of worship for Catholics in Vietnam.
Under the order of Thiệu Trị, six corvettes from Đại Nam ambuscaded the frigate Gloire and the corvette Victorieuse, which were sent to Tourane to negotiate for the liberation of the imprisoned French missionaries and to seek a commitment from the authorities in Đại Nam to allow freedom of worship for Catholics, in the Bay of Tourane.
In 1863, Bishop Lefèbvre laid the cornerstone of the seminary at the location on Tôn Đức Thắng Boulevard where it still stands today.