Notre Dame - Saigon style

Notre Dame (Duc Ba) Cathedral with its 56 m bell towers that hold six bells weighing nearly 30 tons, rises over Paris Square in downtown Saigon. It stands across from The Post office (last post). French architect Jules Bourand designed the cathedral and it was completed in 1890 .

You can still see bullet holes in the facade, and in 2005 people flocked to the square with rumours the Virgin Mary was shedding tears.

This young couple had their photos taken outside the church.

Van Mieu 3

Still in Van Mieu, The Temple of Literature in Hanoi - it covers an area of 14 acres, so there is a lot to see.

The Gate of Great Success leads to the Courtyard of Sages in which is found.....

The Great House of Ceremonies......

where a statue of Confucius is kept flanked by his four closest disciples.

More from inside the Great House next post.

Chua But Thap

Goddess of Mercy Quan Yin with her thousand eyes and arms to see all and help those in need.


Wooden statues of Buddha dating from 17th century, recognized as some of best in Vietnam.

This wooden prayer tower from the 17th century, is built in the form of lotus petals.

Chua But Thap

Located outside Hanoi, near Dinh To village, is the ancient Chua But Thap, built in the 13th century. Seven houses align on a 100 metre axis flanked by 32 long corridors of 26 column bays.

This pagoda has the finest examples of Buddhist statuary in the country, so will show you some of them in the next post.