Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh City

After Vietnam passed into French hands, The Roman Catholic Church established a religious service in the country for the colonists. The Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1863 and 1880, and was originally called the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saïgon. All the material for its construction was imported from France. The cathedral is made up of red bricks, from the French region Toulouse, and has a huge rose window making up its facade between the bell towers. The two bell towers, the cathedral’s most iconic feature, were added to the cathedral in 1895. They stand at a height of 58 metres. The long spacious interior of the church has many tablets depicting drawings of biblical scenes.

The cathedral is surrounded by a beautiful garden, lush green and immaculately maintained to this day. The garden has a famous statue of the Virgin Mary. In 2005, legend has it that the statue shed tears, and huge crowds of people thronged the cathedral trying to catch a glimpse of this incredible event. The clergy of the Catholic church haven’t been able to confirm this legend.