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Joseph’s Cathedral of Hanoi in Hanoi: Tours, Travel, Map, Photo

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Overview of Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi

Hanoi Cathedral is characterized by European medieval Gothic architecture, following the model of Notre Dame Cathedral with wide and curved domes facing the sky. The building is a special highlight in the Hanoi Old Quarter area, which follows traditional Asian architecture.

The church has a length of about 65m, a width of 21m with 2 bell towers nearly 32m high, fixed by huge stone pillars. The exquisitely designed stone cross attracts everyone’s eyes from the moment they step in. The entire tile floor is created from terracotta bricks, and the four sides of the wall are plastered with paper to create an ancient and very beautiful space. For hundreds of years, the church wall covered with moss creates a wild and mysterious scene.

The main doorways and doors have pointed arches, typical of the Gothic style. The large curved dome facing upwards creates a lofty space. The highlight in the middle is the sophisticated, flower-shaped round window. With deep colors, mainly in European style, mixed with many motifs bearing Vietnamese images, making the two sides of the path of the church attractive, attracting tourists to admire and admire the unique beauty.

The church is divided into 3 compartments: the reception hall – a place for the choir and musicians, the ceremony area, and the sanctuary to celebrate the ceremony. Right in the church are hidden 3 tombs of Cardinal Trinh Nhu Khue, Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung and Hong Yi Trinh Van Can. In the middle is a statue of Our Lady, covering the entire church scene, creating an unusually cozy feeling, like a mother with her arms outstretched to embrace her young children.

Bringing a contemplative feature of time, Hanoi Cathedral as a special highlight for the architecture and landscape of the Hanoi Old Quarter area becomes much more special. If you ever come to Hanoi, you definitely cannot miss this place.

Hanoi Cathedral is located at the intersection of 3 major streets, namely Nha Chung, Ly Quoc Su, and Nha Tho streets (address at 40 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). This place has become an attractive Hanoi tourist destination not only for young Hanoians but also for tourists from all over the world coming to this city.

1. Opening hours of Hanoi Cathedral: 

On weekdays (from Monday to Saturday), Hanoi Cathedral is open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Sundays, Hanoi Cathedral is open to welcome visitors in the morning from 7 am to 11:30 am, and from 3 pm to 9 pm.

Service time at Hanoi Cathedral: On weekdays (from Monday to Friday), Hanoi Cathedral is open for service at 5:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. (18:00 on Saturday). Particularly on Sundays, Hanoi Cathedral opens more time frames for the ceremony so that more people can come here: 05h00, 07h00, 09h00, 11h00, 16h00 (children’s festival), 18h00, 20h00 (youth ceremony).

2. Move to Hanoi Cathedral:

To find the location of Hanoi Cathedral on the map is not too difficult, so choosing and finding means of transportation here is not too difficult. You can go by private vehicle or choose to book grab bike, taxi… Because this is an area located in the Old Quarter and close to many famous tourist attractions, the price of transportation services may be higher but convenient. much more convenient and easier to book a car.

In addition, to the transportation to Hanoi Cathedral, you can also choose to experience something new by traveling by bus. However, there is no direct bus route to Hanoi Cathedral, so you will have to go to a few places nearby and then walk into Hanoi Cathedral as below: 

Take the bus to Hoan Kiem Lake: You can take bus routes 09, 14, and 36 to get to the bank, then go straight to Hang Trong Street, turn left onto Nha Tho Street to reach Hanoi Cathedral.

Take the bus to Trieu Quoc Dat street: You can take bus 01 to Trieu Quoc Dat street, then go straight to Phu Doan street, then turn right onto Au Trieu street to get to Hanoi Cathedral.

Take the bus to Trang Thi: You can take bus route 02 to Trang Thi (get off at 6 Trang Thi, go straight for a section and then turn right into Phu Doan, continue Phu Doan and then turn right into Au Trieu to reach the Hanoi Cathedral.

3. History of Hanoi Cathedral:

Hanoi Cathedral is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hanoi located in the heart of the city. This is also the church with the archbishop’s throne, where often religious activities of the parishioners of the Archdiocese of Hanoi take place.

Until now, the cathedral has attracted people who are parishioners and tourists from all over the world to come here not only because of its religious and religious significance but also many special features in its architecture and history.

Built during the French colonial period, the cathedral is one of the typical works of colonial architecture still preserved until now in the capital. The architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

According to many documents, the French government demolished the 800-year-old Bao Thien ancient pagoda to build a large church on the old land of the ancient temple. Legend has it that Bao Thien Tu was a famous national temple of Dai Viet capital during the dynasties of Ly – Tran – Le – Nguyen. At the end of the 18th century, the National Temple was demolished and the foundation of the pagoda was converted into a marketplace for Dai Viet people at that time. After a while, the government transferred that land to the Catholic Church to build the big church like today.

Although built on the ground of the old temple, the architecture of these two works is completely different.

At the beginning of completion, the large church was built temporarily of wood to serve the religious activities of the parishioners, in 1884, the church began to be completed with terracotta. The process of building the cathedral in Hanoi encountered many difficulties, but the work was still completed in time for Christmas in 1888.

 Although the “birth" name of the church is St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi people are used to calling it a more affectionate name, Hanoi Cathedral. Experiencing many ups and downs of history, and witnessing many events of the time, the cathedral has quietly witnessed the “change of flesh" of the capital during the past 3 centuries. Although in the midst of the magnificent capital land, many unique architectural works have sprung up, the cathedral is still a special highlight, a fluttering note in the architectural symphony of Hanoi, making it becomes a must-see attraction.

4. The unique architecture of Hanoi Cathedral:

Hanoi Cathedral has the neo-Gothic style of the 19th century with typical European symmetrical towers and shafts. This special structure has a length of 64.5m with a bell tower up to 31.5m high. At that time, this was the most unique and monumental architectural work in Hanoi Old Quarter in particular and the Hanoi capital in general. From Hoan Kiem Lake to the West, visitors can easily recognize the Hanoi Cathedral by the deep colors of time printed on the dark gray walls, striking against the clear blue sky.

People always wonder why the Old Quarter is always bustling and busy, but around the Hanoi Cathedral, it’s so quiet and peaceful, it feels like the cathedral of Hanoi is alone with all that is vibrant and crazy in this city. That is also the reason so many tourists love this place.

Inside the church, the rows of stained glass windows and many wall paintings with religious themes emphasize and highlight the European architectural style. Besides, many decorative details in traditional Vietnamese style are decorated along the aisle, on the wall, and on the altar… creating impressive features for the entire space. Besides, another tourist attraction inside the church is the Holy Palace. The sanctuary is decorated according to folk tradition, although simple but impressive and eye-catching, in the middle of the sanctuary is a statue of Saint Joseph holding Jesus, on both sides of the sanctuary there is an altar to the Mother of God and many other holy statues.

Below the Cathedral are long red benches, with kneeling tables for parishioners to perform Mass in the cathedral. Hanoi Cathedral can accommodate up to thousands of people. On major occasions such as Christmas, Hanoi Cathedral is a place that attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world and parishioners come here to visit and worship.

After many years of hiatus, Masses at Hanoi Cathedral were re-organized in 1990, attracting a large number of parishioners to participate. Since then, holy services at Hanoi Cathedral always attract large numbers of people on all days of the week.

5. Top 5 activities not to be missed when coming to Hanoi Cathedral

5.1. Visit the ceremony held in the Cathedral

Visiting the services held in Hanoi Cathedral is an interesting experience that you should try first when visiting this place. This is the place where the Catholics’ beliefs and religions are most clearly expressed through Masses at the church such as weddings, baptisms, etc. Learning more about the unique features of the rituals in a Catholic ceremony is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.

You should note that Hanoi Cathedral is open to visitors for free, opening and closing hours of the church may vary by day (the church is usually closed during lunch break). When visiting the church during the ceremonies, you should pay attention to dress politely, discreetly, neatly, do not speak loudly, shout loudly and absolutely should not say words discriminating against religious differences, offend or affect other saints, and laity.

5.2. Celebrate Christmas at Hanoi Cathedral

Christmas is the time when Hanoi Cathedral “puts on" the most beautiful and shimmering robe. Whether you are a Catholic or a pagan, every Christmas, we always pray for peace, happiness, and blessings to all the loved ones around us. When you come to Hanoi Cathedral on Christmas, you will enjoy the warm and happy atmosphere with the Christmas verse sparkling with lights and shimmering with caves that recreate the legendary story of Jesus.

5.3 Check-in “virtual life" at Hanoi Cathedral

On Facebook, Instagram, Zalo, and other social networking sites…you will not be short of the “virtual life" photos of young people at the cathedral in Hanoi. Whether it’s sunny days, autumn with golden leaves or winter with cold winds, the scene at the Hanoi Cathedral is ready for you to take pictures of “quality like distilled water" because the background is so beautiful it feels like standing in the middle. European heaven.

No matter if you coming to Hanoi seems to be unable to ignore this check-in place, with what Hanoi cathedral is there, it will definitely give you extremely beautiful and quality photos in your journey. Don’t miss this wonderful experience when coming to Hanoi Cathedral!

5.4. Enjoy the “specialty" of lemon tea in the Cathedral

It is unknown when lemon tea became a specialty drink in the Hanoi cathedral. Every weekend or late afternoon to midnight, young Hanoians invite each other to “let’s have lemon tea from the big church".

Lemon tea at the cathedral is not too different from lemon tea in other places, only, try the feeling of sipping a little bit of sour, sweet, cool tea, biting sunflower, and sitting “eight" enough. stories of heaven and earth with close friends, behind a large church musing as if listening to all stories, so a gentle weekend evening passed.

In addition to lemon tea, there are many other snacks that appeal to young people such as mango pickles, vermicelli along the way, spring rolls, fried spring rolls… The snacks are not new but have a bold “sidewalk cuisine" character. In Hanoi, with only a few tens of thousands of dollars, you can enjoy delicious Hanoi-style snacks here.

The space to enjoy the food at the Hanoi Cathedral is the “restaurant" of an extremely airy open space, with a few low plastic chairs, one more chair as a table, and so on. The guests who “missed" once came here could not help but be satisfied with what the Hanoi cathedral has to offer.

5.5. Explore Ho Guom walking street at the weekend

The large church located right next to the tourist destination is considered the symbol and carries the soul of Hanoi tourism, which is Sword Lake. On weekends, here opens a walking street to serve the entertainment and entertainment needs of Hanoians and foreign tourists. A perfect tour schedule for you is that you can go to the Cathedral in the afternoon, then in the evening, you can go to the pedestrian street to join and immerse yourself in the vibrant, fun, and vibrant life. dynamic of this street at night. It regularly organizes music events, shows, volunteer activities…

Especially, if you want to improve your English, this is an extremely suitable place, Walking Street is a place where many foreigners come here to travel, visit, and relax… so it’s very easy to start a conversation to hone your foreign language skills with a foreign tourist here.

Well, Joseph’s Sain Cathedral has a lot of interesting things waiting for you to discover. We have already taken you around this interesting place, what are you waiting for? Let’s come check in with nice shots immediately.

Highlight of Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi

  • Opening hours of Hanoi Cathedral;
  • Move to Hanoi Cathedral;
  • History of Hanoi Cathedral;
  • The unique architecture of Hanoi Cathedral;
  • Top 5 activities not to be missed when coming to Hanoi Cathedral: Visit the ceremony held in the Cathedral, Celebrate Christmas at Hanoi Cathedral, Check-in “virtual life" at Hanoi Cathedral, Enjoy the “specialty" of lemon tea in the Cathedral & Explore Ho Guom walking street at the weekend.
Map

Joseph’s Cathedral of Hanoi, Hanoi Capital

Overview of Joseph’s Cathedral & Hanoi tours

Day 01

HANOI ARRIVAL – GREETING – HANOI CITY TOUR– Private Tour (L)

  • Good morning, pick you up at Noi Bai International
  • Airport and transfer to Hanoi Capital city.
  • Check-in the hotel then have lunch at the restaurant.
  • Afternoon sightseeing tour begins with a visit to President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum ( closed on Monday and Friday, every afternoon, and whole from 15 June – 15 August, view the outside the building). Inside the mausoleum, there are sightseeing of the Presidential Palace (view from outside), President’s Fishpond, House On Stilts, and One Pillar Pagoda.
  • Next, we will pay a visit to the Temple of Literature. It is where Confucius – The founder of Confucianism was worshiped. This place as known as the first National University of Vietnam. It is where kings, mandarins, talented people of Vietnam training to the functionary.
  • Our tour continues with an exciting visit. We will visit one of the most beautiful lakes in Hanoi is Hoan Kiem Lake. Then, we will go to the Ngoc Son Temple, which is in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.
  • Continue a short walking tour around the old quarter with a tour guide.

Day Inclusions: Private A/C transfer, English-speaking tour guide in Hanoi, lunch, entrance fee, hotel in Hanoi

Day 02

HANOI – NINH BINH (TAM COC, HOA LU) TOUR (B/L)

  • Good morning, have breakfast at the hotel.
  • 7.30 – 8.00 AM: Pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter and transfer to Tam Coc.
  • 8.00 – 10.00 AM: After two hours of transferring, our tour guide will introduce you to Vietnam as the history, culture, lifestyle of local people. On the conical hat, we will have a mini-game show to teach you how to say and write some Vietnamese simple words such as Xin Chào, Tạm Biệt, Tôi yêu Ninh Bình, etc. We will give you a little souvenir and you can wear it during the trip.
  • 10 AM: We will prepare for a boat trip to visit the beautiful Tam Coc. It takes 1.30 hours rowing along the Ngo Dong river through the three mysterious caves. You can enjoy spectacular scenery surrounded by rice paddies and towering limestone mountain peaks.
  • 11.30 AM: We will get on Thanh pier for a short walk to visit Thai Vi Temple, which is one of the well-known temples in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. We will continue 10 minutes walking along majestic valley with rice fields, rivers and lotus ponds for Tam Coc Nature Lodge where we will relaxing
  • Enjoy your lunch in here – Vietnamese food.
  • 1.30 PM: you have a chance to be a fisherman and learn how to catch the fish in the pond or river.
  • 2:00 – 3:00 PM: We ride a bike to Thung Nang, along the river among the rice field, lotus ponds, and limestone Mountains. We will continue to through a peaceful Dan Khe Trong village. This area is a real picture of the rural countryside in the north of Vietnam.
  • 15: 00: Return the van, drive to visit Hoa Lu Ancient citadel which was built in the 10th century, and the temple dedicated to King Dinh and King Le
  • 4:00 PM: Back to Hanoi Capital.
  • 18:30: Arrive in Hanoi & we will drop you at your hotel in the Old Quarter.
  • Have dinner is available on your request.
  • Overnight at the Hanoi Hotel.

Day Inclusions: Car/Mini-Van, Outstanding English speaking guide, Lunch – Vietnamese Cuisine at Tam Coc Nature Eco Lodge, All sightseeing tickets, Good bike with gears, 02 bottles of Mineral water, Services charges and government tax, Rowing boat to visit Tam Coc, One conical hat as souvenir, Demonstration of teaching to learn how to write, speak Vietnamese, and catch fish

Day 03

HANOI – HALONG CRUISE (B/L/D)

  • Good morning! Enjoy your with have breakfast at your hotel, then check-out the hotel.
  • 07:30 am – 08:00: Pick up from your hotel to travel to Halong Bay (notice: pickup time can be a bit flexible depending on each different Cruise, distance Hanoi – Halong bay is 160km, a stop for break time on halfway for a refreshment).
  • You enjoy the drive and sightseeing the peaceful countryside scenery during the bus trip (4 hours), we arrive at the Ha Long bay seaport at around noontime.
  • 12h 30: You will aboard the cruise, check-in & enjoy a welcome drink while your cabin will be assigned.
  • Check-in your cabin and put your luggage in, relax and may do a short inspection tour by moving around the cruise to discover about the cruise’s architecture & design
  • Enjoy the sumptuous lunch with fresh seafood meal while cruise slowly gliding out into the Halong bay.
  • 15h00 – 16h00: Explore the amazing Sung Sot Cave – the most beautiful cave in Halong Bay.
  • 16h00 – 17h00: Cruising to Titop Island. Go swimming and relaxing at the beach of Titop or climb up to the top of the island for a view panorama of Halong Bay.
  • 17h00 – 17h30: Return to the boat, enjoying beautiful seascape on the way.
  • 17h30 – 19h00: Enjoy Sunset Party on the sundeck and admire the best moments of the day when the sun starts to set.

Day Inclusions: Hotel breakfast, shuttle bus A/C transfer, English speaking tour guide on CRUISE only, entrance fee, full board, joint Cruise in Halong bay with private cabin (2 persons share 1 cabin)

Day 04

HALONG BAY – HANOI (B/L)

  • Start your day with Tai Chi exercises or a photo hunt.
  • 07h00 – 07h30 Have breakfast on board and enjoy the peaceful morning of Halong Bay.
  • 08h30 – 09h30 Kayak among the hidden areas of the bay, around the Drum Cave.
  • 09h45 Return to the boat. Freshen up and check out of your cabin.
  • 10h00 – 10h30 Continue your cruise exploring the Bay, passing Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet, and more.
  • 10h30 – 11h30 while heading back to the harbor, watch the fruit carving demonstration and participate in the Cooking Class before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch.
  • 11h45 – 12h00 Disembark V’Spirit Classic.
  • 12h15 – 12h30 Transfer back to Hanoi.
  • About 16:00 – Arrival back to Hanoi central city, recheck in the hotel
  • Dinner is available on your request.
  • Free time & Overnight in Hanoi city

Day 05

HANOI CITY CENTER TO NOI BAI AIRPORT – DEPARTURE (B)

  • Good morning, enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Then, you have some free time to explore Hanoi city before going to Noi Bai airport for your scheduled flight.
  • The end of the tour, thank you and see you again!

What’s included in this trip :

  • A/C accommodation with DOUBLE or TWIN ROOM (2 persons share 1 room; single room can be available on request) with daily breakfast
  • A/C transfer from Airports to the hotel and other tourist destinations according to the itinerary
  • Bus round trip to Hanoi – Ha Long Bay; (private land transfer available on request)
  • 2 days 1 night on Joint Cruise trip in Ha Long Bay, with DOUBLE or TWIN (2 persons share 1 cabin; single cabin can be available on request), full meals on board
  • Kayaking in Ha Long Bay
  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary. (Breakfast = 04; Lunch = 04; Dinner = 01)
  • English- speaking guides as specified (Chinese/ Malaysian speaking guide can be available on request)
  • Entrance fees
  • Mineral water (2 bottles/ per day with sightseeing tour)
What’s excluded in this trip:
  • All international and domestic flights
  • Specified as Chinese/ Malaysian/ Indonesian/Thai speaking guide can be available on request to pay for extra-fee.
  • Travel Insurance
  • Airport taxes
  • All meals not mentioned
  • Tips for tour guides, drivers, crew members in Ha Long Bay, other attendants if may have (3 USD/pax/day)
  • Other personal expenses not mentioned.
Ranana

You feel like organized tour, but you are in a privet tour. Impress Travel make the different.

We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.

Ebrahim

Tour of Vietnam

Impress travel were amazing. Did my bookings with Daniel for our tour of Vietnam and I must say Daniel was very professional and prompt with his services. All the arrangement, plans, pick-up & drop-off services, hotels, vehicles, sightseeing tours and guides were spot on and excellent. Did 4 nights Hanoi, 1 night Hà Long Bay cruise, 3 nights Hoian, 4 nights Saigon and 1 night in Can Tho. It was totally awesome. Every part of the journey was superbly arranged and planned. I will highly recommend Impress Travel for anyone interested in visiting Vietnam. Very organized and reliable!

Solly Pochee

The tour was fantastic

I booked with Impress Travel in July. My contact person was Tommy Thang. He is an amazing person. He was very helpful. He changed my program twice for me. Very accommodating!
We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
The tour was fantastic, Tommy's arrangements were to the"T".
I will always use them if I have to visit the area again and recommend them to one and all.
Thank you once again Mr.Tommy and the Impress Team.
Sulaiman Pochee

Bernard Lim

Great value for money with 4 stars hotel

Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.

Derek.Schooling

We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel

This is the second time we travel to Vietnam with IMPRESS Travel. First time, we booked our holiday to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa during Dec 2018 with Impress.
Second time, we travel to Hoi An, Hue & Danang (Central Vietnam) during Jan 2019.

My friends & I are very glad & happy with all the hotels stay in Central Vietnam, the meals provided are delicious. We are greatly appreciated with all the tour arrangement by Tommy & his team (tour guide).
Especially, Mr. NHAT C.V. He is helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable and very professional. He always volunteer to take a nice pictures for six of us (group) .

We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel. We will definitely come back to Vietnam again with Impress

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