10 Most Famous Churchs in Ho Chi Minh City

Christianity began to be transmitted to Vietnam by Western missionaries in 1533, but it only became popular when the Hue court accepted French protection. Since then, many churches were also built. Nowadays, there are more than 300 churches in Ho Chi Minh City including over 200 Catholic churches. Each of them owns not only the different architectural styles as well as many unique features. Follow our article about the 10 Most Famous Churchs in Ho Chi Minh City, and you can get all the necessary information you need to know about these destinations.

1. Notre Dame Cathedral

• Location: 1 Cong Xa Paris, District 1.
• Opening hours: 5:30-17:00 (Monday to Saturday) & 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, 9:30, 16:00, 17:15, 18:30 (Sunday)

Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the earliest churches in Vietnam. The Cathedral was designed by a French engineer named J. Bourar and finished in 1880. All construction materials including bricks and stones were imported from France. Its structure is a combination between Roman and Gothic architecture styles and has the biggest pair of bells in Vietnam.

Notre Dame Cathedral is also the largest church in Ho Chi Minh city with a capacity of 1,200 people. The church has become the most-visited religious site, not only for worshippers but also tourists who want to admire its beauty.

Notre Dame Cathedral

 

2. Pink Church (Tan Dinh Church)

• Location: 289 Hai Ba Trung, District 3
• Opening hours: 05:00 – 17:30 (Daily)

Tan Dinh church is considered the second biggest church in Ho Chi Minh City, after Notre Dame Cathedral. It is also the most eye-catching church in Ho Chi Minh city with pink colour, built in 1870 and completed in 1876. The church is the typical construction of the French architecture’s style, Gothic, combining with Roman and Baroque decoration. Right at its entrance gate are two bell towers with six bells.

Inside the building, there are Italian marble altars which are known as a donation from a local wealthy family many years ago. Tan Dinh Church is not only a beautiful construction but also valuable architecture, including the history, culture, and lifestyle of the city. It is also a place of charitable organizations, who share love and caress.

Pink church

 

3. Huyen Si Church

• Location: 1 Ton That Tung Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1
• Opening hours: 5.30 – 17:30 (Monday to Saturday), & 5:00, 6:30, 8:00, 16:30, 18:00, 19:30

The church was built with the donation of Huyen Sy, a wealthy man in Saigon. He used his land and 1/7 of his property to build the church. This is a place to escape from the boiling heat of Saigon, as it is surrounded by ample trees. In front of the church is the giant statue of St Matthew Le Van Gam, who was beheaded since he opposed orders from the Nguyen Dynasty. Coming to visit this church, tourists are also impressed with the main bell tower 57 meters high, including the cross and Gaulois statue.

Huyen Si Church

 

4. Ky Dong Church

• Location: 38 Ky Dong, Ward 9, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 5:00, 6:00, 18:00 (Mon to Fri); 5:00, 6:00, 14:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:30 (Sat); 5:00, 6:30, 8:00, 10:00, 15:30, 17:00, 18:30, 20:00 (Sun)

Ky Dong Church is one of the best local churches in Ho Chi Minh City which impresses visitors with the triangle blocks and semicircular door arches, especially the statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The design of the church is simple, a mixture of modern and traditional Roman style, but still exudes solemnity. Outside the church is a large bookstore called Nha Sach Duc Me where you can a wide variety of Catholic books, statues, pictures, clothes, accessories, and many other decorations.

Ky Dong Church

 

5. Saint Joseph Seminary of Saigon's Chapel

• Location: 6 Ton Duc Thang Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Saint Joseph Seminary of Saigon's Chapel is one of the first French architectural works in Ho Chi Minh City. The Seminary was built by priest Wibaux and the Paris Foreign Missions Society in 1863, and the major parts of the seminary still remain over 150 years The Seminary has a large campus, and there 2 main works in the campus: The Place for Priests studying and chapel. Besides, the church has a spacious yard with green old trees, stone carvings, statues and busts, a fountain, which is a great place to walk, relax and escape from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City.

Saint Joseph Seminary of Saigon's Chapel

 

6. Cho Quan Church

• Location: 120 Tran Binh Trong, Ward 2, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City
• Opening hours: 05.00 – 11.00 and 13.00 – 21.00 daily

Cho Quan Church is the oldest church in Ho Chi Minh City, which was established in 1722 and was rebuilt many times, the present church was inaugurated in 1896. The church has a combination of Gothic architecture and Roman architecture. Cho Quan church has overcome the challenges to survive and grow up. A parish is worthy of the community of the Southern faithful in the process of witnessing the Gospel in history. Today, Cho Quan Parish is still having strong innovations in a changing Church and Country.

Cho Quan Church

 

7. Jeane d'Arc Church

• Location: 116A Hung Vuong Street, Ward 9, District 5
• Opening hours: 05:00 - 17:00 (Mon – Sat) & 05:00 - 7:00 - 09:00 - 16:00 -18:00 (Sun)

Another name of Jeane d'Arc Church is Nga Sau Church (6 streets) as it is located near the roundabouts of 6 streets. Nga Sau Church was built from 1922 to 1928 by Father Juan Bautista Huynh Tinh Huong in a large park with lush green plants and features the Gothic architecture of Europe. The park used to be the “graveyard”, but nobody thinks of creepy stories of the church as it is now decorated with bright colors and green rows of trees. Another special thing of the church is worshipping a Christian female saint.

Jeane d'Arc Church

 

8. Cha Tam Church

• Location: 25 Hoc Lac, Ward 14, District 5,
• Opening hours: 7:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00

The official name of the church is the Church of St. Francisco Javier, which was built in the late 19th century and inaugurated in 1902. The church is perhaps the only church decorated like Chinese pagodas and temples in Ho Chi Minh City and has a harmonious mix of Gothic (Western) and Chinese (Eastern) architectures. It is not only the place for religious activities, but also for tourist to admire the splendid architecture, enjoy the fresh atmosphere and find the peace in your own soul.

Cha Tam Church

 

9. Hanh Thong Tay Church

• Location: No.7B, Quang Trung Street, Ward 11, Go Vap District
• Opening hours: 4:45, 17:30 (Mon-Sat), 5:00, 7:30, 9:30, 16:00, 17:30, 19:00.

Hanh Thong Tay Church or Saint Joseph Church was built from 1921 to 1924 under the sponsorship of wealthy landowner Denis Le Phat An (1868-1946) and his wife Anna Tran Thi Tho, who also paid most of the construction costs for this church. This church owns an extremely rare and unique architectural style in Saigon as well as in Vietnam, designed and built by contractors Baader and Lamorte. It follows the Byzantine style modelled the Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy instead of popular Gothic and Roman designs like many other churches.

Hanh Thong Tay Church

 

10. Chi Hoa Church

• Location: 149 Banh Van Tran Street, Ward 7, Tan Binh District,

Chi Hoa church (Official name: Our Lady of the Rosary Church) was built under the permission of Father Mossad in 1890, inaugurated on October 7, 1890, and has a Roman architectural style. Its whole foundation area of 600 acres was donated by Huyen Sy Le Phat Dat, one of the richest landlords in South Vietnam at that time. The Church of Chí Hòa consists of 3 main works: Church gate, La Vang Mother Square, and temple. It has a Divine Mercy Mass, heard that everyone who comes to pray is accepted by Jesus Christ.

Chi Hoa Church

Visiting Ho Chi Minh churches is one way of exploring how the Christian religion in Vietnam is. If you don’t want to look hard to find these churches, book a customized Ho Chi Minh city tour including the visit to the above churches with us.

Jenny

Sources: Internet