Tân Định Church

Tân Định Church tickets: which one to buy

Tân Định Church, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, stands on Hai Bà Trưng Street in the Tân Định area of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, north of the city centre, and it is free to see from outside, while the interior is usually open during masses and at certain times of the day. Painted a vivid pink, it is one of the most photographed churches in Vietnam and a popular stop on city tours. The church is about ten minutes by taxi or motorbike taxi from Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and the Central Post Office in the city centre.

Visitors often combine it with the Tân Định Market across the street, a local market selling fabrics, food and household goods, the Jade Emperor Pagoda, the War Remnants Museum and the Independence Palace. The best photographs of the facade are taken from across the street, where cafés offer a view. The church is active, with a large Catholic congregation and several masses daily, and visitors should dress modestly and be quiet during services. The gates may be closed at midday. Street vendors outside sell drinks and snacks.

Visiting Tân Định Church: what to see

The church was built in 1876, during the French colonial period, to serve the growing Catholic community of Saigon, and it is the second largest church in the city after Notre-Dame Cathedral. It was designed in a mixture of styles, combining Romanesque forms with Gothic and Renaissance details, and its facade has a tall central bell tower, about fifty metres high, flanked by smaller towers with spires, all decorated with arches, columns and ornament. The church was painted pink in the twentieth century, and the colour has become its trademark, making it stand out against the city's grey buildings and green trees.

Inside, the church is bright and spacious, with pink and white columns and arches, a vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows and a large altar. The main altar, made of marble, is decorated with carved figures, and statues of the Sacred Heart, the Virgin and saints stand in the side chapels. The church's bells, brought from France, ring for masses. The grounds include a grotto dedicated to the Virgin and parish buildings. The church has been renovated several times, most recently to repair its towers and roof, and it remains an important centre of Catholic life in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tân Định Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily, with masses in the early morning and evening and several on Sundays, and the interior may be closed during the middle of the day. Ho Chi Minh City is hot all year, with a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November, when short heavy showers are common in the afternoon. Christmas Eve brings huge crowds and decorations. Morning light is best for photographing the pink facade. Allow about twenty minutes for the church, and explore the Tân Định Market across the street.