The Notre Dame Cathedral of Ho Chi Minh City is the largest church building to be constructed in the French empire outside of France. This basilica-style cathedral has a 40-meter (120-foot) spire which was the tallest structure in the then Saigon when it was completed in 1880.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh CityNotre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh City
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HCMC_Notre_Dame_Cathedral.jpg
authorshipEustaquio Santimano
photo licensing


The Notre Dame Cathedral is finished with red tiles imported from Marseilles. These tiles make the façade look like it is brickwork. The cathedral originally had beautiful stained-glass windows from Chartes. Unfortunately these were destroyed during the Second World War, and during restoration, replaced with plain glass.

In front of the Notre Dame Cathedral is a statue of the Virgin Mary made in Rome and brought over to Vietnam in 1959. It is given the name Holy Mary Queen of Peace, in the hope that the statue will bring peace to the then war-torn country.

The Notre Dame Cathedral is still packed with worshippers. You can go up to the belfry on Sundays. From there, you can get a splendid view of the city.

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