Top well-known churches in Vietnam
Under BlogWith distinguishing and outstanding architecture, these churches draw a huge attention from tourists.
1. Phat Diem Cathedral (Ninh Binh Province)
Phat Diem Cathedral is located in Kim Son district, Ninh Binh Province. “Phat Diem” means generating beauty, named by famous Vietnamese poet and scholar Nguyen Cong Tru. Built during 24 years in 19th century, it is a cross between traditional Vietnamese architecture and Europe architecture.
Phat Diem (also called Stone Church) includes a cathedral, 5 stone churches on the sides, Phuong Dinh (bell house), lake and 3 man-made grottos, with total area of 22 ha. It is mostly made by stone and wood. A special thing about Phat Diem is that though it is a Christian church, it was designed by Buddhist architecture style, with Vietnamese architecture features in 19th century.
Phat Diem Cathedral is an unique architecture in Vietnam, with the harmonious combination between traditional pagoda architecture of Vietnam and Gothic style of Christian architecture. The magnificent structure but harmony with the natural scenery with the style of Oriental architecture, the cathedral will bring you exciting time and unforgettable impression.
2. Phu Nhai Church (Nam Dinh Province)
Nam Dinh is a famous place for beautiful churches, especially Phu Nhai Church with fantastic Gothic architecture.
Phu Nhai, located in Xuan Phuong commune, Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh Province, was built in 1986 with the influence of Spanish style. After that, the church was rebuilt with French architecture. It is considered as the biggest church of Gothic architecture in Vietnam, with 30m height, 28m width and 80m length.
There are 2 bell towers with 40m height, containing 4 bells. It has statues stuck on the surface of the walls or the doors.
Come to Phu Nhai Church, you will be surprise by the glamorous beauty of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. You can also stand in the high tower of the church to see the view of Xuan Truong district.
3. Kon Tum Wooden Church (Gia Lai Province)
This church is an incredible architecture, standing on an amazing highland for almost a century. With a tall bell tower, pointed roof, a lot of rounded arches and huge pillars, Kon Tum Wooden Church bring out specific features of Roman architecture, harmonizing with traditional Oriental style. It is totally made by cachet wood – a kind that Ba Na ethnic minority people use to build their stilted houses.
Kon Tum Church is an outstanding tourist destination of Kon Tum city. It is also considered as the biggest wooden church in Vietnam. It contains a basilica, a guest house, a showroom of ethnic and religious products and a communal house – typical of the Central Highlanders.
In the church campus also stands an orphanage and a workshop of fine arts products of ethnic minority groups. The basilica is beautified with immeasurably high communal houses and highly artistic statues made of tree roots.
4. Buon Ho Church (Dak Lak Province)
Situated on a slope of the hill, in an immense area, Buon Ho Church stands imposingly with Gothic architecture style, highlighted by a huge dome and a bell towers twin. The forecourt is called Brother Square, starting from two bell towers through 8 giant pillars, creating a massive front of the church.
With a total area of 1,260 square meters, Buon Ho church is one of the biggest churches in Central Highland.
5. Cock Church (Da Lat city)
The Cathedral of Da Lat which local people call Cock Church (Con Ga Church) because there is a man-made cock stuck on the top of the tower. It is one of the oldest colonial building that France design during the French Colonial Empire.
The Cathedral was begun construction on July 19, 1931. It had being built for 11 years. The Cathedral has 3 sections: one big room in the middle and 2 smaller ones in two sides. The church has a very high tower. Its windows have arch shape. Its roof is covered by tiles. Its walls are built by rocks with 30 – 40cm thick. These inside walls are decorated with some 1m X 0.8m statues and outside walls are painted with pink.
From the church, you can see the whole view of poetic city of Da Lat. The bell tower is also a landmark for tourists to find where the city center is.