St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi

St. Joseph's Cathedral is a late 19th-century Gothic Revival church in Hanoi's Hoàn Kiếm District, serving as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi. Its exterior is gaunt and grey, but the interior is light and peaceful. Mass is held several times daily, and the Sunday evening service at 18:00 draws large crowds that spill into the street, where the service is broadcast to those who cannot enter.

Don't miss

• Twin bell towers rising 103 feet, each fitted with five bells, reminiscent of Notre Dame de Paris
• Tall stained glass windows produced in France, with pointed arches and a rib-vaulted ceiling
• A sanctuary made of polished gilt-trimmed wood in the traditional imperial style, similar to Phát Diệm Cathedral
• A statue of the Virgin Mary kept in a palanquin to the left of the nave, following local custom
• A pipe organ with 1,850 pipes, designed by Belgian craftsman Guido Schumacher, installed in 2022

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi

Cheapest way inPrivate Walking Tour of Hanoi City4.9★ · 1,393 travelers3-5 hoursFree cancellationFrom$5 per personSee dates →Most bookedHanoi Backstreet Jeep Tour : Hanoi HIGHTLIGHTS and HIDDEN GEMS5★ · 2,035 travelers~5 hoursFree cancellationFrom$57 per personSee dates →Private & flexible(Group/Individual) HANOI STREET FOOD TOUR5★ · 529 travelers2-3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$5 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The twin bell towers and Gothic Revival façade deliberately recall Notre-Dame de Paris.
• Inside, look for French stained glass alongside a gilt-trimmed wooden sanctuary in a local imperial style.
• The pipe organ installed in 2022 has 1,850 pipes.

A bit of history

Construction began in 1884 and was completed in December 1886, making it the oldest church in Hanoi. It was built on the abandoned site of Báo Thiên Pagoda, which had collapsed in 1542. After the Viet Minh took control in 1954, the cathedral was closed until Christmas Eve 1990, when Mass was permitted again. Major renovation works to restore its exterior and structural integrity were finished in 2022.