Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon tickets: which one to buy

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica stands on Paris Square in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, next to the Central Post Office, and it is one of the city's best-known landmarks. The cathedral has been undergoing a long restoration since 2017, with scaffolding around the towers and limited access to the interior, so check the current situation before planning to go inside; the exterior and the square can always be seen.

City tours of Ho Chi Minh City almost always stop here along with the Post Office, the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum, and many walking and motorbike tours start from the square. Book Street, a pedestrian lane lined with bookshops and cafes, is beside the Post Office. Traffic around the square is heavy, so cross carefully. When the church is open, modest dress is required, and visiting pauses during mass. Street vendors around the square sell drinks and snacks, and the benches under the trees are a pleasant place to rest.

Visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon: what to see

French colonists built the cathedral between 1863 and 1880, and almost all the building materials were imported from France, including the red bricks from Marseille, which have kept their colour without plaster. The design, by the architect Jules Bourard, combines Romanesque and Gothic elements, with two bell towers, rose windows and a large nave. The spires were added in 1895, bringing the towers to about sixty metres. The stained glass windows, made in Chartres, were damaged in the Second World War and partly replaced.

In front of the cathedral stands a granite statue of the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace, made in Italy and installed in 1959; in 2005 some believers reported that the statue shed tears, drawing crowds. The cathedral was given the status of a minor basilica in 1962. Inside, the nave is lined with plaques of thanksgiving placed by the faithful. The six bronze bells in the towers were cast in France and shipped to Saigon in 1879. The interior has plain arcades and columns, with stained glass showing saints and a statue of the Virgin above the main altar. Plaques along the walls thank the Virgin for favours received, in Vietnamese and French.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon opening hours and the best time to go

Ho Chi Minh City is hot all year, with a rainy season from May to November, when afternoon storms are common, and a dry season from December to April. Mornings and late afternoons are the most comfortable times for walking around District 1. Sunday mass, when the cathedral is open, draws many Vietnamese Catholics, and Christmas Eve fills the square with enormous crowds celebrating in the streets.

Lunar New Year, Tet, brings flower displays to the nearby Nguyen Hue walking street. The Central Post Office next door, with its vaulted hall and old maps, is open daily and free. Allow about twenty minutes for the cathedral exterior and square, and combine the visit with the Post Office and Book Street. The Reunification Palace, a short walk away, is open daily and preserves its 1960s interiors and command bunkers.