Impressive church architecture in the Northeast region.

1. Phat Diem Stone Cathedral

From 1875, Phat Diem Cathedral was designed by Father Sau (Father Peter Tran Luc) and built by parishioners over more than 30 years. Phat Diem Cathedral (Phat Diem Stone Church) is a complex covering 22 hectares in Phat Diem town, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province.

The Phat Diem Stone Church complex was classified as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1988. This complex includes: the main church, five smaller churches, a pavilion, ponds, and artificial caves. Today, the area surrounding the church has also been expanded with the construction of a pilgrimage center, a traditional house, the cathedral parish house, and the diocesan headquarters.

The church was built in the late 19th century when transportation and technical facilities were not as modern as they are today. Even so, during construction, hundreds of natural stones and massive ironwood logs, tens of meters long, were meticulously transported and used in the building process, resulting in a very sturdy structure.

The main load-bearing frame of this church is a wooden structure, with trusses and purlins very common in Northern Vietnamese residential architecture. The stone used to build the church is blue stone brought from various places in Thanh Hoa and Ninh Binh provinces, while the wood comes from Nghe An and mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa province. All of these sources are more than 100 km away from the church's construction site.

Although a Catholic structure, Phat Diem Cathedral is strongly influenced by traditional Vietnamese temple and pagoda architecture. The church's roofs are curved and multi-tiered; the bell tower and church tower are built in the style of a three-arched gateway (a common construction style for temples); the columns, beams, and many other elements are designed with a distinctly Vietnamese character. Inside, the sanctuary is painted in red and gold like a royal palace. Many decorative motifs clearly reflect Eastern culture, such as plants, animals, birds, peacocks, phoenixes, pine trees, bamboo, chrysanthemums, and plum blossoms.

The entire Phat Diem Stone Cathedral complex is a unique architectural masterpiece, a stone church with a "one-of-a-kind" architecture in Vietnam for over 100 years.

2. Tra Co Church

The church's history began around 1857 when many Catholic families, seeking refuge from war and conflict, migrated to the Tra Co peninsula. As a result, the number of parishioners increased significantly, and the Tra Co Church was built to provide a gathering place for the faithful. Initially, the church was made of wood and consisted of seven sections.

After numerous renovations, the church began to deteriorate in 1930. The parish priest had the sanctuary renovated, repainting the walls of the church porches, replacing the entire floor with new tiles, expanding the sanctuary, repairing the altar, paving the walkways with stone, and spreading white gravel on the sandy courtyard…

Overall, Tra Co Church is 130 meters long and 30 meters wide, comprising 10 bays. It has a tiled roof and walls constructed of limestone mixed with crushed seashells and clams, situated within a large compound. The highlight of the church is a 30-meter-high bell tower, which took two years to build. The bell, cast around 1927, sits atop the tower. Hundreds of exquisitely carved bas-reliefs adorn the church walls, giving it an ancient and majestic appearance. The sanctuary is supported by rows of ironwood columns. The main altar is painted in red and gold, intricately carved with delicate patterns.

In 1979, during the Northern border war, Tra Co Church was severely damaged. In 1995, the structure was restored to its pre-war state.

3. Phu Nhai Cathedral

Located in Xuan Phuong commune, Nam Dinh province, the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Phu Nhai (also known as Phu Nhai Church or Phu Nhai Shrine) is one of the most famous religious structures of the Bui Chu Diocese, built in 1881 on a fairly large area. It is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Vietnam with its magnificent Gothic architecture.

The original Phu Nhai Church was built of wood and thatched with straw by the parish priest Emmanuel Rianô Hòa in 1866, shortly after Emperor Tự Đức signed the decree granting religious freedom, ending nearly three centuries of persecution of Christianity in Vietnam.

After being damaged during the war, the church was restored and renovated by Bishop Dominic Nguyen Chu Trinh, starting in 2003 and completed in 2004, resulting in its current appearance.

The Phu Nhai Church, measuring 80 meters long, 35 meters wide, and 30 meters high to the roof, is the largest church in Vietnam and Indochina. The two bell towers at the front are 44 meters high, housing four bells cast in France and shipped over. The Stations of the Cross surround the Phu Nhai Church. The main facade of the church is divided into three levels. The top level features two bell towers, each with numerous columns forming giant candles reaching towards the sky. All three layers of doors on each level are in the Gothic style, with pointed arches creating a sense of upward prominence.

Stepping inside the church, one can feel the grandeur of the Spanish Gothic architectural style. Behind the two majestic wooden main doors lies the nave with its soaring vaulted ceilings. Two rows of pews are neatly arranged, one side for men and the other for women during religious services.

Phu Nhai Cathedral has always been a religious landmark and a tourist attraction for visitors from near and far. From high vantage points, visitors can see the church's towering bell tower standing out against the green fields and red-tiled roofs of the surrounding houses.

4. Thai Binh Cathedral

The Thái Bình Cathedral, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, became the cathedral of the Thái Bình diocese in 1936. At this time, Bishop Casadio Thuận instructed the Spanish priest Rengel Lễ to oversee the construction of an additional section of the church from the cross upwards, and to erect a gilded altar, making the cathedral much more massive, spacious, and imposing, befitting the stature of a cathedral.

Over time, the church showed signs of deterioration. In 2005, Bishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Sang initiated the construction of a new cathedral, which was officially inaugurated on October 13, 2007.

The new cathedral, situated on a spacious 6,000 m² site, is deeply marked by biblical influences. The two-story church is clad in a bright cream color, reminiscent of alluvial soil and the rice-growing countryside of the Red River and Tra Ly River basins.

The church's new appearance reflects the prevailing graphic architectural design trend in Vietnam and is favored by the local community in terms of both style and lines.

5. Hung Nghia Church

Hung Nghia Church (also known as Hung Nghia Shrine) is located in Hai Hung commune, Hai Hau district, Nam Dinh province. The church was built in 1927, but quickly deteriorated due to storms and heavy rain. Later, parishioners and the parish priest decided to renovate it. Construction resumed in 2000 and the church was inaugurated in 2007.

After being "dressed" in a new coat of paint with architecture resembling a magnificent castle, the church always amazes visitors whenever they come to see it. The intricate and elaborate details make one mistakenly think they are in some European country, not Vietnam.

If you come here on a cold, foggy afternoon, you'll surely feel like you've wandered into a castle from a fairy tale!

Phuong Anh