Notre Dame Cathedralone of the landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City

Last Update: 25th October 2020
Located at the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Notre Dame Cathedral was built in the late 19th Century. It features the typical Gothic style. It is also called Red Cathedral as it is built with red bricks. It is said that these bricks were transported to Ho Chi Minh City from France.
Notre Dame Cathedral Fast Facts
  • Name: Notre Dame Cathedral
  • ​Location: 01 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Quận 1 Hồ Chí Minh City
  • Things to do there: History and Culture, Photography, Architecture
  • Who visits: Photographers, History and Culture Lovers, Architects
  • Time required: 1 x Hour

What to expect at the Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral has two towers. With a height of 40 meters, the towers stand out for milky spires, which features the design of Notre Dame de Paris. The clock between the towers still works although it was made by Swiss in 1887. There are six huge chord chimes made by France in the cathedral. They are transported to the city in 1879. The chimes are decorated with exquisite patterns. All the chimes are only hit on the night of Christmas. On festivals and Sundays, three of them are hit.
The interior is composed of a big hall, two small halls and two rows of prayer rooms. The shrine, sculptures and decorations of each room are different from one another. Telling the stories in the Bible, stained glass around the dome and on the wall in the interior is stunning. Made of an entire marble, the main shrine is carved with 6 statues of angles. The base features the carvings of Bible stories.
On the garden square in front of the cathedral stands a statue of the Virgin Mary weighing 4 tons. Presented by the Roman Church in 1945, the statue is 4.2 meters tall. She steps on a poisonous snake.

Best time to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral

If you’d like to experience the atmosphere of Mass, it is suggested to visit at 05:30 and 17:00 from Monday to Friday and at 05:30, 06:30, 09:30, 16:00, 17:15 and 18:30 on Sunday.
You could visit the cathedral around the year.

 

How to get to the Notre Dame Cathedral

Bus 3 could take you to the cathedral. Alternatively, you could rent a vehicle to it.

 

Additional Notre Dame Cathedral Travel Advice

  • Opening hours: 08:00 – 11:00 and 15:00 – 16:00
  • Tourists can visit the cathedral for free.
  • Please take off the hat before entering the cathedral.
  • Please keep quiet in the cathedral.
  • There are free English interpretation services between 09:00 and 11:00 from Monday to Saturday.
  • If it is being maintained, it is closed to the public.

Interested in visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral on a Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Notre Dame Cathedral among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.