Most of the people know the Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Saigon. But, more and more tourists like to come to the pink church in district 3, which is Tan Dinh Church.
Tan Dinh Church in Saigon
- Address: 289 Hai Ba Trung Street, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- You can visit the Tan Dinh Church every day of the week, but please note the church service time!
- Service hours: Weekdays: 5:00 am, 6:15am, 5:30pm, 7:00pm; Saturday and Sunday: 5:00 am, 6:15am, 7:30am, 9:00am, 4:00pm, 5:30am, and 7:00pm.
- It is free of charge, so you can freely visit and take pictures.
- Built in 1870 and opened on 16 December 1876.
The architectural beauty of Tan Dinh Church
From outside, Tan Dinh church appears as a pink fairy castle on the clear blue sky in the busy city of Ho Chi Minh. Its colour contrasts with the yellow sunlight creating a dreamy setting.
Located on the crowded street, almost anyone passing it has to look at the unique beauty of this hundred-year-old church.
You will enjoy the impressive pink and beautiful Gothic style. It still seems to have a mixture of Roman architecture, creating a gorgeous beauty.
The church has 3 parts: the main tower and 2 auxiliary ones, surrounded by a series of arched corridors. All are wearing a pink shirt. The interior of the church is glorious, including two beautiful rows of columns leading to the major altar.
1. The main tower
The most outstanding is the principal bell tower, reaching the clouds as if creating a path between heaven and earth.
Looking from a distance upon the top of the church’s 52.6m high tower, you will see its octagonal top has a three-meter copper cross, creating a familiar image in most churches.
Standing under the dome and by the green coconut trees, you will overwhelm by the glory of this building.
All lead you to start going to the wonderland.
2. Auxiliary tower
Along with the principal tower are two ordinary towers with many light columns, and plenty of windows.
On the walls, there are a lot of delicate and unique patterns to create a solid but charming appearance.
The towers are designed in a unique style, making the arch roofs form a mysterious corridor right in front.
Round-shape tiles cover the roofs combined with round doorways, making the church more mysterious.
3. Sanctum
When going inside, the sanctum appears luxuriously, superficially with two solid Gothic columns creating a path to the main altar. All altars in the cathedral are made of Italian marble. Perhaps, the façade and the two rows of columns are the most charming highlight of this massive project.
If you look carefully, you will recognize that the left columns have the statues of the Holy Woman, the right columns have of the Holy Men.
Inside the towers, there are 5 bells weighing about 5.5 tons, contributing to the architectural value for Tan Dinh Church.
Visiting the internal church, the guests will feel like getting lost in the romantic and classic land, which everyone wants to visit.
Taking pictures at Tan Dinh Church
The pink church Tan Dinh has become a well-know destination in Saigon for most of the guests and the local people because of its unique colour and beautiful architecture.
Thus, many photographers, including both professional and amateur ones, choose this place to take pictures.
It is easy to see many guests with cameras standing around the church to wait for their perfect photos.
Many people choose to stand near the church and show up the camera to get the towers. This way makes the church seem to go to heaven.
The other guests stand the other side of the road to take the façade of the church, including bell towers.
Any corner where you stand can create amazing photos, which values your journey to this religious building.
One note is that Sat and Sun have many local people coming to pray, so it is hard for visiting and taking pictures.
As a religious work, Tan Dinh Church also organizes charitable activities to help disadvantaged people.
Ho Chi Minh City residents and tourists often come here to pray for good things and peace. They also listen to sermons at the sanctum. Some people come here to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
In the late afternoon, the bells rang throughout the region make people feel peaceful after a hard-working day. Although it has undergone many renovations, Tan Dinh Church has kept its original beauty.