Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City

Following approval by the municipality of Ho Chi Minh City, restoration work on Notre Dame Cathedral was put in place on July 4, 2017. The fence was installed to allow its restoration in two years.

The installation of the fence alone required 3 weeks against a year planned for the renewal of the tiled roof. The installation of the scaffolding required 2 months, involving the necessary hygiene and preliminary examination procedures. A period of 12 months was planned for the work to be carried out at two directions.

If all goes well, the restoration could be completed by the end of 2019, if not, it will be in June 2020, according to priest Ho Van Xuan, head of the Restoration Committee. Throughout the works, Notre Dame Cathedral is not open to visitors for security reasons, but the sacrament sessions continue as usual and only the main entrance to the passable site. Out of respect for its authenticity, the roof of the building measuring 91 m long, 35 m wide and 57.3 m high will adopt double tiles as well as those in the shape of fish scales.

Located in the middle of the "Paris Commune" square, in the district 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, the building is Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in miniature, which testified to so many ups and downs of Saigon over 140 years old. Built between 1877 to 1880 according to the plans of architect Jules Bourard, this Romanesque and Gothic style work stands out as the most elegant of the French architectural heritage in Saigon. Almost all of the materials for its construction were imported from France, including the Marseille red bricks.

For its location in the heart of the city as well as its imposing role of the Catholic community of Ho Chi Minh City, many locals are concentrated there as visitors especially during Christmas and public holidays. Normally, the surroundings of the cathedral are the meeting place for young people and married couples who come to take pictures.

So far, Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City welcomes hundreds of groups of visitors from both the country and abroad every day, who come to appreciate a charming historical heritage but also a cultural gem most dear to the hearts of the residents.

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