Saint Joseph Cathedral, located at 40 Nha Chung street, Hanoi, is a Roman Catholic cathedral with neo-gothic style, which was built about 120 years ago.

History and Architecture


In 1882, after the French army conquered Hanoi, the cathedral was constructed and completed in 1886. The cathedral and Nha Chung area were built on the land formerly belonging to Bao Thien pagoda, which was built under Ly dynasty.

Saint Joseph Cathedral Hanoi

Hanoi Saint Joseph Cathedral

The architecture with domes of the cathedral follows the Gothic style and design of Paris Cathedral. It is 64.5m in length, 20.5m in width with two bell towers of 31.5m-height. Though the appearance of the cathedral, from the doors, the colorful window glass, to the religious paintings for decoration follows Western style, the main interior part is decorated in Vietnamese way with two typical colors yellow and red. Outside, in front of the cathedral is the statue of Mother Maria.

Christmas celebration


The first Christmas took place in the cathedral in 1887. Since then, the cathedral is always crowded with hundreds of people including both Christians and non-Christians at the weekend or during religious holidays like Christmas.

Visitor Information


Today, taking advantage of beautiful architecture and good venue at the center of the city, the area surrounding the cathedral is always packed with hundreds of local people and tourists hanging out with friends for drinking, talking, and watching the street.

Vietnam Tours 2020

Inside Hanoi Saint Joseph Cathedral

Nha Chung Street now becomes the “Lemon Tea” street, a popular gathering place for many youngsters in Hanoi, and home to eye-catching souvenir shops and Western-style restaurants. It is not only the holy place for Christian couples hold their wedding, but also a great venue for non- religious grooms and brides to take nice wedding shots.

How to get there


Saint Joseph Cathedral (Photo: Bao Lao Dong)

From Hoan Kiem Lake head to Hang Gai Street, keep going until you reach Ly Quoc Su Street on the left-hand side. Walk pass Ly Quoc Su and you will reach Nha Chung – the Cathedral is the connecting point of these two streets.

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Tommy Ngo

Tommy Ngo was born as a child of Home of Traditional Folk Music of graceful Vietnam. Besides a common role of a master of IT and professional blogger, Tommy also has a passion with traveling and discovering as deep as possible the beauty and culture of the S-shaped country.

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