Visit St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi

1. Introduction to Hanoi Cathedral

Hanoi Cathedral is located at the intersection of 3 major streets, namely Nha Chung, Ly Quoc Su and Nha Tho streets (address at 40 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). This place has become an  attractive Hanoi tourist destination  not only for young Hanoians but also tourists from all over the world coming to this city.

Opening hours of Hanoi Cathedral:  On weekdays (from Monday to Saturday), Hanoi Cathedral is open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Sundays, Hanoi Cathedral is open to welcome visitors in the morning from 7am to 11:30am, from 3pm to 9pm.

Service time at Hanoi Cathedral:  On weekdays (from Monday to Friday), Hanoi Cathedral is open for service at 5:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. (18:00 on Saturday). Particularly on Sundays, Hanoi Cathedral opens more time frames for the ceremony so that more people can come here: 05h00, 07h00, 09h00, 11h00, 16h00 (children’s festival), 18h00, 20h00 (youth ceremony).

2. Move to Hanoi Cathedral

To find the location of Hanoi Cathedral on the map is not too difficult, so choosing and finding means of transportation here is not too difficult. You can go by private vehicle or choose to book grab, taxi… Because this is an area located in the Old Quarter and close to many famous tourist attractions, the price of transportation services may be higher but convenient. much more convenient and easier to book a car.

In addition, a means of transportation to Hanoi Cathedral, you can also choose to experience something new by traveling by bus. However, there is no direct bus route to Hanoi Cathedral, so you will have to go to a few places nearby and then walk into Hanoi Cathedral. Specifically:

• Take the bus to Hoan Kiem Lake: You can take bus routes 09, 14, 36 to get to the bank, then go straight to Hang Trong Street, turn left onto Nha Tho Street to reach Hanoi Cathedral.

• Take the bus to Trieu Quoc Dat street: You can take bus 01 to Trieu Quoc Dat street, then go straight to Phu Doan street, then turn right onto Au Trieu street to get to Hanoi Cathedral.

• Take the bus to Trang Thi: You can take bus route 02 to Trang Thi (get off at 6 Trang Thi, go straight for a section and then turn right into Phu Doan, continue Phu Doan and then turn right into Au Trieu to reach the church. big Hanoi.

3. History of Hanoi Cathedral

Hanoi Cathedral is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hanoi located in the heart of the city. This is also the church with the archbishop’s throne, where often religious activities of the parishioners of the Archdiocese of Hanoi take place.

Until now, the cathedral has attracted people who are parishioners and tourists from all over the world to come here not only because of its religious and religious significance but also many special features in its architecture and history.

Built during the French colonial period, the cathedral is one of the typical works of colonial architecture still preserved until now in the capital. Architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

According to many documents, the French government demolished  the 800-year-old Bao Thien ancient pagoda  to build a large church on the old land of the ancient temple. Legend has it that Bao Thien Tu was a famous national temple of Dai Viet capital during the dynasties from Ly – Tran – Le – Nguyen. At the end of the 18th century, the National Temple was demolished and the foundation of the pagoda was converted into a market place of Dai Viet people at that time. After a while, the government transferred that land to the Catholic Church to build the big church like today.

Although built on the ground of the old temple, the architecture of these two works is completely different.

At the beginning of completion, the large church was built temporarily of wood to serve the religious needs of the parishioners. In 1884, the church began to be completed with terracotta. The process of building the cathedral in Hanoi encountered many difficulties, but the work was still completed in time for Christmas in 1888.

Although the “birth” name of the church is St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi people are used to calling it a more affectionate name, Hanoi Cathedral. Experiencing many ups and downs of history, witnessing many events of time, the cathedral has quietly witnessed the “change of flesh” of the capital during the past 3 centuries. Although in the midst of the magnificent capital land, many unique architectural works have sprung up, the cathedral is still a special highlight, a fluttering note in the architectural symphony of the whole city of Hanoi, making the This is a must-see attraction.

• See also:  Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

4. Unique architecture of Hanoi Cathedral

Hanoi Cathedral has the neo-Gothic style of the 19th century with typical European symmetrical towers and shafts. This special structure has a length of 64.5m with a bell tower up to 31.5m high. At that time, this was the most unique and monumental architectural work in Hanoi Old Quarter in particular and Hanoi capital in general. From Sword Lake to the West, visitors can easily recognize the Hanoi Cathedral from afar by the deep colors of time printed on the dark gray walls, striking against the clear blue sky. of Hanoi.

People still don’t understand why the  Old Quarter  is always bustling and busy, but around the Hanoi cathedral, it’s so quiet and peaceful, it feels like the cathedral of Hanoi is alone. with all that is vibrant and crazy in this city. That is also the reason so many tourists love this place.

Tourists can only visit Hanoi Cathedral through the side gate. From the outside, Hanoi Cathedral seems to have an ancient, quiet feature tinged with time by the layers of lime mortar that have changed color, the roof tile has been covered with layers of moss. Yet, when stepping inside, the splendor and magnificence of Hanoi’s cathedral makes many visitors utter surprise.

Inside the church, the rows of stained glass windows and many wall paintings with religious themes emphasize and highlight the European architectural style. Besides, many decorative details with traditional Vietnamese style are decorated along the aisle, on the wall, on the altar… creating impressive features for the entire space. Besides, another tourist attraction inside the church is the Holy Palace. The sanctuary is decorated according to folk tradition, although simple but impressive and eye-catching, in the middle of the sanctuary is a statue of Saint Joseph holding Jesus, on both sides of the sanctuary there is an altar to the Mother of God and many other holy statues.

• See also:  Hanoi Walking Street

Below the Cathedral are long red benches, with kneeling tables for parishioners to perform Mass in the cathedral. Hanoi Cathedral can accommodate up to thousands of people. On major occasions such as Christmas, Hanoi Cathedral is a place that attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world and parishioners come here to visit and worship.

After many years of hiatus, Masses at Hanoi Cathedral were reorganized since 1990, attracting a large number of parishioners to participate. Since then, holy services at Hanoi Cathedral always attract large numbers of people on all days of the week.

5. Top 5 activities not to be missed when coming to Hanoi Cathedral

5.1. Visit the ceremony held in the Cathedral

Visiting the services held in Hanoi Cathedral is an interesting experience that you should try first when visiting this place. This is the place where the Catholics’ beliefs and religions are most clearly expressed through Masses at the church such as weddings, baptisms, etc. To learn more about the unique features of the rituals in a Catholic ceremony, this is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

You should note that, Hanoi Cathedral is open to visitors for free, opening and closing hours of the church may vary by day (the church is usually closed during lunch break). When visiting the church during the ceremonies, you should pay attention to dress politely, discreetly, neatly, do not speak loudly, shout loudly and absolutely should not say words discriminating against religious differences, offend or affect other saints and laity.

5.2. Celebrate Christmas at Hanoi Cathedral

Christmas is the time when the Hanoi Cathedral “puts on” the most shimmering and beautiful robe. Whether you are a Catholic or a pagan, every Christmas, we always pray for peace, happiness and blessings to all the loved ones around us. When you come to Hanoi Cathedral on Christmas, you will enjoy the warm and happy atmosphere with the Christmas verse sparkling with lights, shimmering with caves that recreate the legendary story of Jesus Christ. su…

5.3. Check in “virtual life” at Hanoi Cathedral

Try walking around on facebook, instagram, zalo, and other social networking sites…you will not lack the “virtual life” photos of young people at the cathedral in Hanoi. Whether it’s sunny days, autumn with golden leaves or winter with cold winds, the scene at the Hanoi Cathedral is ready for you to take pictures of “quality like distilled water” because the background is so beautiful it feels like standing in the middle. European heaven.

No matter a tourist when coming to Hanoi seems to be unable to ignore this check-in place, with what Hanoi cathedral is there, it will definitely give you extremely beautiful and quality photos. cool in your travel. Don’t miss this wonderful experience when coming to Hanoi Cathedral!.

5.4. Enjoy the “specialty” of lemon tea in the Cathedral

I don’t know since when did lemon tea become a specialty drink of the Hanoi cathedral. Every weekend or late afternoon to night, young Hanoians invite each other to “let’s have lemon tea from the big church”.

Lemon tea at the cathedral is not too different from lemon tea in other places, only, try the feeling of sipping a little bit of sour, sweet, cool tea, biting sunflower and sitting “eight” enough. stories of heaven and earth with close friends, behind a large church musing as if listening to all stories, so a gentle weekend evening passed.

In addition to lemon tea, there are many other snacks that appeal to young people such as mango pickles, vermicelli along the way, spring rolls, fried spring rolls… The snacks are not new, but have a bold “sidewalk cuisine” character. Hanoi, with only a few tens of thousands of dollars, you can freely enjoy delicious Hanoi-style snacks here.

The space to enjoy the food at the Hanoi Cathedral is the “restaurant” of an extremely airy open space, a few low plastic chairs, one more chair as a table, and so on. The guests who “missed” once came here could not help but be satisfied with what the Hanoi cathedral has to offer.

• See more:  Good places to eat in the Old Quarter

5.5. Explore Ho Guom walking street at the weekend

The large church located right next to the tourist destination is considered the symbol and carries the soul of Hanoi tourism, which is  Sword Lake . On weekends, here opens a walking street to serve the entertainment and entertainment needs of Hanoians and foreign tourists. A perfect tour schedule for you is that you can go to the Cathedral in the afternoon, then in the evening, you can go to the pedestrian street to join and immerse yourself in the vibrant, fun and vibrant life. dynamic of this street at night. It regularly organizes music events, shows, volunteer activities….

Especially, if you want to improve your English, this is an extremely suitable place, Walking Street is a place where many foreigners come here to travel, visit, relax… so it’s very easy to start a conversation to hone your foreign language skills with a foreign tourist here.

Well, the cathedral has a lot of interesting things waiting for you to discover. We have already taken you around this interesting place, what are you waiting for, come check in and immediately.