The churches in Hanoi are not only sacred places for Catholics to come on a regular basis for praying, attending Mass,... but also popular tourist attractions thanks to their impressive historical significance and uniquely beautiful architecture. Below are the top 7 most incredible churches that you should pay a visit to once traveling to Hanoi.
Top 7 churches in Hanoi: St. Joseph Cathedral of Hanoi
The most famous church in Hanoi city - Source: vietnamdiscovery
St.Joseph Cathedral of Hanoi has an official name of Saint Joseph, designed by Bishop Pugninier in the period from 1884 to 1886 with an architectural style resembling Notre Dame de Paris. The Neo-Gothic style church is one of the first structures constructed by the French colonial government and the most long-standing church in Hanoi capital city.
This Hanoi church is 64,5m high and 20,5m wide with the facade consisting of two square bell towers with a height of 31,5m. Between two towers is a big clock, on the top of which is located a stone cross. In front of the church are a copper statue of Mother Maria surrounded by neatly, artistically trimmed trees, green lawns, and a round fence.
As one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Hanoi, St. Joseph's Cathedral was meticulously designed with colorful glass stained windows with high domes which are decorated with glorious decorative motifs and filled with holy paintings, making the interior space more fanciful. The sanctuary area is embellished in Vietnamese traditional folk art with exquisite details carved with wooden patterns. In general, the interior of the church is the harmonious combination of Eastern and Western design that makes the difference between the Cathedral and the rest.
Coming to this church in Hanoi, you can enjoy scrumptious street food in the stalls or restaurants near the church. It is highly recommended for you to choose rooftop cafes with church views. Like other churches in Hanoi Vietnam, St. Joseph's Cathedral attracts a wealth of people to gather at the weekend and on special occasions, particularly Christmas Eve.
- Location: No.40 Nha Chung street, Hang Trong ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Prayer time:
+ 5:30am, 6:15pm during weekdays
+ 6pm on Saturdays
+ 5am, 7am, 9am, 11am, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm on Sundays
Ham Long church
Ham Long church was built in 1934 - Source: Thanh Tùng - TTXVN
The outstanding feature of this Hanoi church is the bell tower located in the center of the facade, which is decorated in Gothic-style spiky contours. All windows are curved in shape and the system of light-filled doors is in canarium shape. Around the church are many statues of Saints with very lively sculptures. Despite the modest space and relatively simple decoration, the Ham Long church has its unique characteristics, different from the majority of the Catholic churches in Hanoi during the French colonial period.
Ham Long church is set on Ham Long street, which is a narrow, ancient street and is known as a famous food street in Hanoi. You can find here tons of food stalls selling a wide array of mouth-watering street food in Vietnam such as Pho, Steamed rice rolls, Bun cha, and grilled steak skewers,...
- Location: No.21 Ham Long street, Phan Chu Trinh ward, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi
- Prayer time:
+ Weekdays: 5:30am (6am in the winter) and 7pm (except for Monday and Friday)
+ Saturday: 7pm
+ Sunday: 6am (6:30am in the winter), 8:30am, 5pm, and 7pm
Top 7 churches in Hanoi: Cua Bac Catholic church
Built in 1925, Cua Bac Catholic church, also known as the “Cathedral of the Queen of the Martyrs”, is located amidst Hanoi’s ancient, narrow streets. Standing out with the bold Indochinese architecture, harmoniously combined with Asian and European styles, this church in Hanoi is also one of the most renowned and beautiful ancient churches in Vietnam. The frame of the church is designed in Baroque architecture but the entire roof is characterized by the traditional Vietnamese match-stacked tile roof design. The exterior of this Hanoi church is highlighted by the asymmetrical bell tower, which creates the two amazing facades.
Cua Bac Catholic is one of the most ancient churches in Hanoi - Source: nhathoconggiao
The interior of the church is characterized by Baroque style with the rows of big, round pillars on both sides looking like those in Renaissance Opera Houses. The worshiping area where the priests celebrate the Mass is under the soaring dome, creating a majestic and magnificent look for the entire church. The four surrounding domes combined with the highest central dome create a mysterious light that lightens up the vast space inside the church.
- Location: No.56 Phan Dinh Phung street, Quan Thanh ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi
- Prayer time:
+ Weekend days: 7pm
+ Saturday: 5:30am, 7pm
+ Sunday: 6:30am, 8:30am, 10:30am, 7pm
Sainte Marie church - top popular churches in Hanoi city
The church is located on a busy street of Hai Ba Trung - Source: @Toshio
Sainte Marie church was under construction at the end of the 19th century where the nuns come to pray daily and only serves a group of the laity. The construction is typical of the Gothic architectural style with a very wide corridor with arched brick windows. The highlight of the church is a small cylindrical bell tower, inside which features 8 small columns, outside are big columns elegantly decorated, on which are the cross embellished by curling iron motifs.
Inside the church still retains the podium where the priest preaches which is incredibly rare in other churches in Hanoi. The interior of Sainte Marie church is impressive with the pointed Gothic arches, creating a spacious, open space and a gentle, light-filled scene. The main space of this church in Hanoi features the area for the nuns to pray and the Basilica, the most sacred area in the cathedral. Sainte Marie is quite small but it is characterized by unique architectural features, which are the rare remnants of Christian architecture dating back hundreds of years ago.
- Location: No.37 Hai Ba Trung street, Trang Tien ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
Hanoi Evangelical church
As one of the most popular churches in Hanoi city, the Hanoi Evangelical church, affiliated with the Vietnam Evangelical church in the Northern region, belongs to the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). After the establishment in Danang in 1911, William Charles Cadman founded Protestantism in Hanoi in 1916. On May 14th, 1918, the Cadman cleric successfully auctioned the land lot with a total area of 3,500m2, then the church was built from 1919 to 1926. After that, this Hanoi church was expanded in 1934 and rebuilt in 1938 to meet the increase in the number of prayers. After many ups and downs, the church has finally operated normally, serving the religious needs of prayers such as praying, learning Bibles, and social works every Sunday morning.
- Location: No.02 Ngo Tram street, Hang Bong ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
Top 7 churches in Hanoi: Al-Noor Mosque Hanoi
Al-Noor Mosque Hanoi - Source: @Hassaine Yasser
This is the only mosque in the North of Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular. To meet the religious demands, the Indian people in Vietnam started to construct the mosque of Al-Noor in 1885, which is the reason why the mosque is significantly influenced by Indian culture. In 1890, the church was officially opened to the public.
This church in Hanoi has a total area of about 400m2, designed in the typical Islamic architectural style, but the details and patterns on towers, flat roofs, archways,... bear the typical imprint of Indian architecture.
Compared to some other churches in Hanoi, the wide arched doorways in the main prayer room and the main color of white make the interior space more spacious and airy. Its main gate overlooks the West according to the direction of the sacred Mecca Mosque of the Muslims.
The main hall of this Hanoi church consists of bookshelves including the Qur’an and books about Islam in English and Vietnamese. Many pictures typical of the Islamic culture are hung on the walls. Every Friday, the Islam wearing round hats and traditional costumes gather in the church to pray. Right next to the mosque is a restaurant with the signature dishes of Halal, suitable for Islamic people.
- Location: No.12 Hang Luoc street, Hang Ma ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
- Prayer time: 12pm - 12:30pm, 12:30pm - 1pm
Top 7 churches in Hanoi: An Thai church
An Thai church was constructed between 1893 and 1907 - Source: vietlandmarks
Despite the modest space, An Thai church or Ke Buoi church has stood still and silently, exuding ancient and majestic features, which is like the witness of the long-standing history. This church in Hanoi was built in the Renaissance architectural style with delicate decorative motifs.
The facade of the church has the Latin inscription “ Mater Dolorosa ora pro-Nobis”, which means “Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us”. This Hanoi church can accommodate about 100 people. The sanctuary is simply decorated but still retains solemnity. Nowadays, An Thai church is one of the most ancient churches in Hanoi that preserves the original architecture.
- Location: No.460 Thuy Khue street, Buoi ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi
- Prayer time: 6pm during weekdays; 5:30am and 6:30pm on Sundays
The churches above both play a crucial part in the religious and spiritual life of the Hanoi people as well as international prayers and are impressively stunning architectural works that attract a number of domestic and foreign tourists. Apart from the system of charming churches in Hanoi mentioned above, travelers to Hanoi can admire many other typical valuable architectural works such as the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi Opera House, One Pillar Pagoda, and Thang Long Imperial Citadel,...
— Ha Bich
