| Notre Dame Cathedral tips and photos posted by real travelers and Ho Chi Minh City locals.
Dong Khoi, District 1
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Even if you're not a Catholic, it's worth taking a look at this lovely red-bricked church that was built using bricks from Marseilles and stained glass windows from Chartres. Just take note though, it looks nothing like the real thing ( see my Paris page ) !
The cathedral is closed to visitors except during mass on Sunday. So that's what I did. I popped in for the English mass at 930am, with other opportunistic tourists and a Vietnamese bridal couple, all decked out in their wedding finery.
After you've visited the church and gawked at the stained glass long enough, you could go to the Colonial-looking building which is just opposite. It's a post office and not a train station, if you're wondering.
To see photos of the stained glass, and other places of worship in HCMC, click on b'packer's HCMC page Leave a Comment Directions: Near the intersection of Dong Khoi and Nguyen Du sts., District 1
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There are numerous architectural nods to the French Colonial period in Saigon but what can be more French than a Notre Dame Cathedral? This 19th century neo-Romanesque structure has two 40-meter towers that can be seen from all over the city and is the centerpiece of the city’s government quarter skyline. Its stain glass windows were destroyed during WWII and were never replaced. Sunday mass is performed partly in English for those so inclined. Leave a Comment Directions: Easy to find, follow the towers to this upscale part of town.
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Vietnam has the second largest catholic population in asia, of which the largest is in the philippines and the third in Timor leste due to the various missionaries coming from the philippines and by the french during colonization. It is the seat of the Catholic church in the city. The neo-Romanesque structure has two 40 metre iron spired towers and was built between 1877 and 1883 by the French with the stone ship from France .The church is one of the tallest buildings in the city and the oldest Catholic churches in Vietnam.
The first church was built on Rue 5 (today's Ngo Duc Ke Street). This had been a Vietnamese pagoda, which had been abandoned during the war. Bishop Lefevre decided to make this pagoda a church. The first church was too small, thus in 1863, Admiral Bonard decided to build a wooden church on the bank of Charner canal (Kinh Lớn). Lefevre put the first stone for construction of the church on 28 March 1863. The construction was completed in 1865 and was called "Saigon Church" but it was burn down and construction of the present concrete church finished in October 1877. This is one of the landmarks among the impressive avenues and open spaces north of Dong Khoi. The huge red-brick edifice with twin spires is placed between two streams of traffic and is a clear reminder that the French once ruled this city. Inside, the decor is relatively austere, but the church gets very full and very lively during services
Opens: 9:30am-11am Sun (Mass). Directions: City center, Dong Khoi, Near Post Office.
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This cathedral also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, situated in Paris Square, in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.
The neo-Romanesque architecture and its two 40m-high square towers tipped with iron spires dominate the Ho Chi Minh City's sky line. Leave a Comment Directions: City center
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The Notre Dame Cathedral is located in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City and is one of France’s most ambitious projects in Indochina. The first stone for the Cathedral was laid in 1877 and 3 years later it was opened to the public. The bricks were shipped from Marseilles, and famous French artisans were commissioned to create the stained glass windows. The bell towers were added to the Cathedral in 1895, and have a height of 58meters. I have read that it is possible to climb the bell towers for a nice view of Ho Chi Minh City (but I didn’t go).
At the beginning, the cathedral was called “State Cathedral” due to source of the construction cost (2.5million French francs). In 1962, the Vatican gave the Cathedral the title Basilica and since then the name has been “Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica”.
I didn’t go inside the Cathedral, but just enjoyed the magnificent building from outside. In front of the Cathedral is a statue of the Virgin Mary. The white granite statue was erected in 1959 and has the title “Regina Pacis”. Locals swear that they on occasions have seen the statue shed tears...
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What I found most interesting in this main church was climbing up the belfry, from where you have a very nice view of the city.
Pay atention to the times, as it is usually open only very early (4-9 am) or in the afternoons (14-18).
It is not really outstanding compared with european churches, but it makes a nice change after so many pagodas and temples?
There are masses on sunday mornings (9:30 I think). Leave a Comment Directions: City center
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The cathedral was built by the French late in the 19th century. The 40m-high twin towers tipped with iron spires atop the neo-Romanesque cathedral faces a small square which still has a large statue of the Virgin Mary.
Unusually, this cathedral has no stained glass windows: the glass was a casualty of World War II.
A number of foreign tourists worship here, and the priests are allowed to add a short sermon in English or French to their longer presentations in Vietnamese. Leave a Comment Directions: City center
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In 1959 with the approval of the Vatican the cathedral was named Notre Dame. It is supposed to sit on the site of an old pagoda. The neo-Romanesque architecture is complete with two-40m square bell towers. The garden outside is a popular gathering place. Leave a Comment
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You can find many of this beautiful stained glass in most catholic churches in Vietnam.
Of course Duc Ba (Notre Dame, Saigon) has got some of the nicest stained glass windows with Virgin Mary, Jesus & saints images on them. Leave a Comment Directions: City center
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From the City Centre it is an easy walk of less than 10 minutes to the Cathedral. The 40 metre high square steeples stand out on the skyline and help navigate the streets. The cathedral was built between 1877 and 1883 and has no stained glass windows as they were damaged during World War 2 and never replaced, the exterior walls being red brick have suffered water damage over the years. It can be seen where sections have been repaired , however there is need for considerable more work to be done. The lack of maintenance is typical of many classic old buildings highlighted as tourist attractions in HCMC.
We were unable to enter the cathedral as a service was in progress when we visited late afternoon. The entry doors were open but as the fence gates were locked we had to look over the fence through the open doors to glimpse the interior. Leave a Comment Directions: City center, just opposite the City's General Post Office.
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