The Cathedral of Hanoi, or St. Joseph Cathedral, was designed in the European Gothic style, influenced by the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (France). The main building materials are terracotta bricks, terracotta roof tiles, walls plastered with mache. The church has a length of 64.5m, a width of 20.5m and two bell towers 31.5m high. The building has an opposite facade layout, divided into 3 parts. Two sides are two soaring bell towers, in the middle is a lower block that is terminated by a triangular wall top with a crucifix forming the highlight. Most of the doors and windows on the main façade use the typical Gothic arched form. Particularly in the middle part there is a round flower-shaped window, above and below the cross there is a round clock face. According to the percentile and the door system on the façade, the two bell tower blocks on both sides are 5 floors high and the middle block is 3 floors high. The window and door decorations on the façade are in the form of Gothique but are moderate, not too fussy or cumbersome. Over 100 years with the vicissitudes of time and war, the Cathedral still exists and is a center of Catholic activity in the capital and surrounding areas. Currently, the Cathedral is being renovated and repainted. Most of the renovation work has been completed, the walls inside and behind the Cathedral have been repainted. As for the facade of the work, currently scaffolding and safety nets are being erected for the workers to work. In general, the building has the European Gothic style, but has a combination with indigenous architecture, reflected in the terracotta tile roof system, the interior decoration system with bold Vietnamese traditions. And therefore, it is a product of the very unique East-West cultural exchange. The work is considered a typical church architecture, and is one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Hanoi and the whole country. The Cathedral is also a work marking a special stage of urban development of Hanoi and is a typical architecture of the capital. The inner wall of the Cathedral has been repainted with a new color, bringing the main gray tone. Originally, the church was named “Saint Joseph Cathedral” (Saint Joseph is the adoptive father of Jesus). Currently, the project is located at 40 Nha Chung Street, Hanoi, adjacent to the Archbishop of Hanoi and many other Catholic institutions. The two church bell towers have a set of bells consisting of 5 bells, with 1 large bell and 4 small ones, which are connected to the clock to tell the time. In front of the church, there is a small square with a statue of Our Lady, which adds to the landscape value of the building. The new church building on the old pagoda was built by the Catholic Church with bricks to replace the old wooden architecture, between 1884-1886, in the context of Hanoi’s transformation into a new western-style urban area. West. The building was inaugurated at Christmas 1887.

Kon Tum Cathedral Wooden Church was built entirely of Ca chit wood (red chili) Coming to Kon Tum Cathedral Wooden Church, visitors always feel peace and serenity. In the first few months of 2021, it had to be closed, minimizing people to visit and attend Mass because of COVID-19 translation, so far the church has reopened. Inside the Wooden Church of Kon Tum A Den, representative of the Church, said that Kon Tum Diocese is the most special in the Central Highlands because of all ethnic people. “There are nearly 12,000 parishioners, living in 10 villages, mainly Ba Na people. Most of them do farming and farming. They do not know how to do business or trade. Previously, in the church, there were open schools that taught both culture (teaching Ba Na) and career orientation. Now, since kindergarten, they can learn Vietnamese, so all children can go to outside public schools ”, said teacher A Den. According to the church representative, the Cathedral Parish prescribes that each month there is a baptism for the children on the first Monday of the month, with the number of about 30 children or more / time. In addition, Saturday afternoon and all Sunday are still served at Mass. “Due to the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic, in 2020 and the outbreak from the end of January 2021 in Gia Lai, the Orthodox Parish minimizes the admission of visitors. Particularly, after the outbreak in Gia Lai, the church closed and did not receive guests. The parish stipulates that people go to Mass with only 30 people or less, maximum 50 people on Sunday, strictly abide by the epidemic prevention measures of the Ministry of Health such as hand washing and antiseptic on arrival. gate, measuring body temperature, wearing a medical mask, sitting at a distance of 2-3m in the church “, said teacher A Den and said that at present he still reminds people to be cautious about the complicated developments of the epidemic in India. Degrees and neighboring countries. According to A Den, Kon Tum Cathedral was designed and initiated by a French priest, built in 1913, completed in 1918 and today. In the 1994 – 1996 period, the work was repaired to add two more verandah corridors. By 2013, on the 100th anniversary, the church was remodeled a bit outside. These days, the church is always open to visitors, and there are always people reminding people to wear masks, to take measures to prevent epidemics. Having to go to the church when the afternoon comes, the sunset gradually hides behind the trees of the old tomb. The old porcelain root blossoms with white flowers, and the red confetti to adorn the ancient relics, can fully feel the harmonious design of Roman architecture (France) and wooden stilt houses of the Ba Na people. Through the upheaval in May, the wooden church is still standing there, like the indomitable spirit of the people of the Central Highlands. The material for the construction of the Kon Tum Cathedral Wooden Church is very special, completely made of the best wood at that time, which was Ca chit (red chrysanthemum) – a typical wood of the Central Highlands. Through the skillful hands of artisans from Binh Dinh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai … the work is bonded together by dream without using nails. The church is the only remaining Basilica-style wooden masterpiece in the world.

Na Phac Church Stepping out of the car, appearing in front of us was the “rising” church in the middle of the mountains, built according to the spacious, clean and beautiful Western architecture. Sharing with Tien Phong, Father Joseph Nguyen Van Tinh, curator of Na Phac Cathedral said, in 1979, the border war event occurred. When the war broke out, people went to Na Phap to avoid bullets and bombs. After the war ended, some people returned to Cao Bang, leaving 25 families and took the name of the land of Na Phac (meaning pumpkin field – because there are many pumpkins) to name their teachers. Most of the lay people are Mong and Dao, so the Mass is celebrated in two languages: Kinh and Mong. According to Father Joseph, the whole Bac Kan province now has more than 1,200 parishioners, mainly ethnic minorities, the largest being Mong. Someone is 180 km from the church. That is why on Sunday, this priest has to travel 170km to celebrate Mass. The missionary prospects here are enormous, added Father Joseph. There are about 300 families still wanting to join the religion. Meals of parents and students staying at Na Phac church. Photo: NT In addition to missionary purposes, we join hands with society to bring the children to school. “At first, we traveled a hundred kilometers, we had to leave every household to mobilize parents to send their children to school. However, due to many families facing difficult circumstances, the distance from the school is nearly 100km, all dirt roads and hilly roads, so few children participate. Having mobilized the children, we have to ask for vegetables, rice, food … to feed them, ”said Father Joseph. Father Joseph shared that in the past, this land had only a makeshift house made of laminated wooden slats, covered with palm leaves. Although it is a temporary house, it has 2 functions, both a place for parishioners to pray and a place for children to stay in study. After a period of time, our work has been effective, many helping organizations have so far built a spacious and beautiful cathedral to celebrate Mass and also a “dormitory” for the children. the student. Currently, Na Phac Church has hundreds of pupils living there.