St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi Vietnam
St Joseph’s Cathedral Hanoi, called by the locals “The Big Church”, is one of the first structures built by French colonists during their expansion in Indochina and still intact in Hanoi after two wars in Vietnam.
Despite of fierce fights destroyed almost everything of Hanoi, St Joseph’s Cathedral is still remained in a good condition. Today, this construction becomes a historical attraction which remains the image of the beauty of Ancient Hanoi and makes an impression on visitors by its ancient beauty in the center of bustling capital.
Location: No 40 Nha Chung street, Hang Trong ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
Opening hours: All time for visiting outside of Cathedral
For visiting inside of Construction: Tourists can only visit inside during ceremonial practice as the mass schedule below
Weekday Schedule: 5:30 am and 6:15 pm
Saturday Schedule: 6:00 pm
Sunday Schedule: 5:00 am, 7:00 am, 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 4:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm
A special ceremony is organized on 19th March every year.
Dress code: Wear formal clothes inside; and casual clothes for comfort if you jusst visit the outside only
Entrance fee: Free of charge
The History of St Joseph’s Cathedral:
St Joseph’s Cathedral Hanoi was built on the site of the Bao Thien
Pagoda near Hoan Kiem Lake. Bao Thien Pagoda was the biggest and most
sacred pagoda, which was the center of Buddhism in the history of
Vietnam during the Ly & Tran Dynasty (1010 – 1400).
During the Le & Nguyen Dynasty, although Buddhism was not as
previlege as the previous dynasties, but it was still the place for
Buddhist rituals praying for peace and prosperity of the country. At the
end of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), some parts of St Joseph’s
Cathedral were destroyed to become a market and after the French
Colonist occupied to Hanoi, they demolished completely Bao Thien pagoda
to build a church.
The First St Joseph’s Cathedral was temporarily built of wood. St
Joseph’s Cathedral’s construction took place from 1884 to 1887, and
during this period it was built of brick and plastered by concrete. St
Joseph’s Cathedral looks like a small simulation of Notre Dame de Paris
with multiple representative features of Gothic Revival Architecture.
During the French Colonial time, the Catholic was propagated widely and this Cathedral became the center for Catholic Community in North Vietnam. There were many daily, weekly ceremonies organizing in the church during that time.
How to Get to St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi?
St Joseph’s Cathedral is located in the center of Hanoi, at the
intersection of Nha Chung Street, Ly Quoc Su streets. So it is very easy
to get there by bus, by motorbike or on foot.
If you like to go by bus, there are some local buses going across there
such as Local Bus No 9, No 14, No 34, No33, and so on. The cathedral is
very close to Hoan Kiem Lake, only about less than 10 minutes’ walking from the statue of King Ly Thai To or over 5 minutes from Ngoc Son Temple in the Lake.
See Also:
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List of Best Things to Do & Top Places to See in Hanoi Vietnam
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Best Local Food That Should Not Be Missed in Hanoi Vietnam