Being the “melting pot” of Vietnam, it surprises no one that Saigon houses some of the country’s finest religious buildings ranging from traditional Buddhist temples to Catholic cathedrals, from Hindu sanctuaries to Protestant churches.
In his thoroughly researched and highly readable book, “Exploring Ho Chi Minh City,” local historian Tim Doling includes some of the city’s most beautiful places of worship in a walking tour of Saigon religious buildings.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Popularly known in Vietnamese as Nhà thờ lớn or “big church,” Notre Dame Cathedral is the largest and most important ecclesiastical building in Ho Chi Minh City. Its history dates back to 1866 when architect Georges l’Hermitte was invited to draw up plans for a grand new brick cathedral for the city.
Built from red brick on granite foundations and measuring 91m long and 35.5m wide, the Cathédrale de Saigon was conceived as a work of Romanesque architecture with Gothic elements, modeled loosely on the much larger Notre-Dame de Paris.
The two bell towers on the façade house six bronze bells (two on the right side and four on the left) which were cast in France in 1879, weigh a combined 28.85 tons and (in the days before noise pollution) could once be heard up to 10 kilometers away when pealed together.
The Cathedral has a traditional cruciform-shaped ground plan and the interior features a high vaulted nave flanked by vaulted side aisles and chapels, a transept and a sanctuary which terminates in an apse. The side chapels themselves are dedicated to various saints and biblical figures and also include a shrine to the 117 Vietnamese Roman Catholic Martyrs who were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Although the Vatican has estimated the number of Vietnamese martyrs from the 17th to the 20th century at between 130,000 and 300,000, John Paul II decided to canonize only those whose names are known, giving them a single feast day. The list includes the names of several foreign missionaries.
At the time it was built, the Cathédrale de Saigon symbolized the finest work of the French colony and no expense was spared in its construction. Its eventual cost – over 2.5 million francs ― acquired it the reputation of an “expensive folly.”
In 1960, when the Vatican reorganized the structure of the Roman Catholic church in Vietnam under three Archdioceses (Hanoi, Hue and Saigon) with the Apostolic Delegate located in Saigon, Notre Dame Cathedral was raised to be the cathedral- in-chief. In 1962 the Vatican conferred on it the properties of a basilica and from that time onwards, it was known as the “Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saigon.”
1 Cong Xa Paris, D1; Opening hours: Access to main vestibule only for non-worshippers 8am-11am, 3pm-4pm Mon-Sat. Other nearby places of interest to visit on this walking tour include the Subramaniam Swamy temple and the Ngu Hanh Temple.
Nghia Nhuan Assembly Hall
This Minh Huong communal house began life in the early 19th century as the tiny wooden communal house of Tan Nhuan, a rural village. In 1852 King Tu Duc issued an official nomination consecrating its Thanh Hoang Bon Canh or village gods. During the later colonial era it attracted some famous Minh Huong supporters who contributed generously towards its decorations and upkeep. This accounts for the fact that it contains some of the most exquisite devotional art works found anywhere in the city.
The hall itself comprises two distinct buildings, separated by a light well and flanked either side by two subsidiary axes which project outward beyond the main buildings, forming a wall either side of the front courtyard.
The focus of attention in the tiên điện or front hall is its exquisitely- carved false door, the Cửa Trung Môn. The side facing the front door depicts the “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,” a 15th-century Ming dynasty tale which recounts how the Taoist Immortals, while on their way to attend an extravagant banquet of peaches said to confer longevity on all who ate them, suddenly found themselves at sea and had to exercise their unique powers to reach their destination. The other side portrays the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, a group of 3rd century Chinese scholars, writers, and musicians who sought to escape the intrigue and corruption of court life during the Three Kingdoms period by retreating to the forest and engaging in Taoist- inspired discussions, playing musical instruments, playing chess, writing poetry and drawing ― often while inebriated!
27 Phan Van Khoe, D5; Opening hours: 5am-6pm daily. Other nearby places of interest to visit on this walking tour include the Silversmiths’ Temple and the Cho Lon Mosque.
Sri Mariamman Temple
Sri Mariamman Temple was the first and the largest Hindu sanctuary to be built in Saigon by Tamil-speaking Chettyars from the French territory of Pondicherry, who came here in large numbers at the start of the colonial era to set up banking and money-lending businesses. Constructed at the end of the 19th century by Indian craftsmen and sculptors, it was extensively renovated in the 1950s.
Sri Mariamman Temple is dedicated to Mariamman, a rural South Indian mother goddess worshipped widely for fertility and protection against disease in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Viewed from the front, the most noteworthy feature of the temple exterior is its gopuram (tower), situated above the main entrance door in the middle of the flat temple roof, decorated on all sides with brightly-colored carvings and statues of Hindu deities, guardian figures and ornamental decorations. The roof ridge is similarly adorned with ornamental figures and moldings. In times gone by the main deity was placed on a palanquin and carried around Saigon every Autumn in a street procession. This no longer happens, but the palanquin ― which takes the form of a lion ― may still be seen next to the entrance.
45D Truong Dinh, D1; Opening hours: 7:30am-7:30pm daily. Other nearby places of interest to visit on this walking tour include Ben Thanh Market and the Saigon Sky Deck at Bitexco Financial Tower.
Hung King Temple
The Hung King Temple, also known as the Hung Vuong Temple, was built in 1927-1929 under the name Temple du Souvenir, to commemorate the Vietnamese soldiers who died while fighting in the French army during World War I.
After 1954, the temple was rededicated to the memory of the founding Hung dynasty of Vietnam, and officially renamed the Đền Quốc tổ Hùng Vương (National Hung King Ancestor Temple).
Dragons flank the stone steps leading up to the temple, which is designed in a style typical of Nguyen-dynasty mausoleums in Hue, with a three-layered curved roof richly decorated with dragons and phoenixes.
Inside the temple, the ceiling is adorned with carved images of cranes, unicorns, turtles and phoenixes, painted gold against a red background. Below the ceiling, the upper wall has carved windows which lighten and ventilate the space. The temple roof is supported by 12 black wooden pillars, each representing a sign of the zodiac.
Each year on the 10th day of the third lunar month (usually around mid-April), the temple hosts the city’s official Hung King Ancestors Festival which begins with a solemn ceremony giving thanks to the Hung dynasty for their contribution to the Vietnamese nation.
2 Nguyen Binh Khiem, D1; Opening hours: 8am-11:30am, 1:30pm- 4:30pm Tue-Sun, closed Mon. Other nearby places of interest to visit on this walking tour include St Joseph’s Seminary and the Saigon Botanical and Zoological Gardens.
Hanh Thong Tay Church
Hanh Thong Tay Church was built under the auspices of the Société des Missions Étrangères de Paris in 1921-1924. One of wealthy landowner Huyen Sy’s sons, Denis Le Phat An and his wife Anna Tran Thi Tho provided the land and also paid most of the construction costs, the remainder being met through additional donations.
Uniquely for a church built in Vietnam, its architecture was influenced not by Gothic or Romanesque but by Byzantine style, taking as its model the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Italian bricks were used throughout the interior to give the impression of a traditional Italian sanctuary. The church underwent extensive restoration in 2011-2012.
Hanh Thong Tay Church has a traditional cruciform-shaped ground plan and the interior features a high vaulted nave flanked by flat- roofed side aisles, a transept and a raised sanctuary which terminates in an apse. The semi-dome above the apse features a large painting of Christ on the Cross. A 20m high dome is located immediately above the crossing and the ring at its base is similarly decorated with paintings of Christ’s Disciples. The high altar is made from white marble and features elaborate floral engraving. Shrines to St Mary and St Joseph stand in front of the transept walls, either side of the sanctuary. The 14 Stations of the Cross are situated between the windows along both church walls.
The church originally incorporated a 30m high steeple, but in 1953 the spire was removed at the request of Indochina Airlines, reducing its height to 19.5m for reasons of aviation safety. The shortened tower later suffered damage during the 1968 Tet Offensive, after NLF Special Forces famously used it to fire on the American positions at the nearby Tan Son Nhat Air Base.
53/7 Quang Trung, Go Vap District; Opening hours: By permission of Father Clemente Le Minh, 8:15am-11am, 2pm-4pm Tue-Sat. Other nearby places of interest to visit on this walking tour include the Thong Tay Hoi Communal House and the Artists’ Pagoda.
Re-printed by permission of Tim Doling, author of the walking tour book “Exploring Hồ Chí Minh City” (Nhà Xuất Bản Thế Giới, Hà Nội, 2014, available at select Fahasa bookshops and other retailers). The 439- page book includes four walking tours of the city center along with sights further afield. Tim Doling also conducts Heritage Tours of Saigon and Cho Lon. For more, see www.historicvietnam.com
* Images by Ngoc Tran.
