Located at 40 Nha Chung Street, Hang Trong Ward, Hoan Kiem District,  St. Joseph Cathedral is the largest and most famous church in Hanoi.

About the architecture, St. Josephh’s Cathedral is designed after the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, very popular in the 12th century and the Renaissance in Europe.

The whole design is characteristic of Gothic architecture.

The large clock in the front of the church is also hundreds of years old, with an alarm clock system that is linked to the bells hanging on the tower. Under the clock is a statue of St. Joseph.

In contrast to the ancient solitude of the outside, the space inside the church is overwhelmed with magnificent splendor.

With a large space, the church accommodate up to thousands of people. In special occasions like Christmas, it attracts crowds of christians and visitors.

In recent decades, the streets around the church has become a popular gathering place for Hanoi people, especially young people.

Source: kienthuc.com.vn

Discover St. Joseph’s Cathedral – the most magnificent ancient church in Hanoi
Nguyen Thanh Van

Located at the southwest corner of Hue Imperial Citadel, The To Temple is a place of worship for the Nguyen kings. This is the largest and most important temple of Hue ancient capital.

Behind Mieu Mon is Hien Lam Cac, a three-storey building is considered a memorial to commemorate the merits of the Nguyen kings and other great ministers. Hien Lam Cac is the highest building in the Imperial City.

The To Mieu Temple, located behind Hien Lam Cac, is a very large wooden structure, consisting of two consecutive buildings set on a height of nearly 1 meter. The area of a rectangular ground, an area of 1500 m².

The image of the dragon in The To Temple.

Before 1958, the temple had only 7 worship projects of kings Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Kien Phuc, Dong Khanh and Khai Dinh. In 1958, three kings against the French colonialists Ham Nghi, Thanh Thai and Duy Tan were worshiped.

The To Temple was built in 2 years (1821-1822), originally only used to worship Gia Long King – The To Cao Emperor (hence the name The To Temple). Later, the temple became a place of worship for all kings of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Source: kientruc.com.vn

The To Temple – the most important place of worship of the Nguyen Dynasty
Nguyen Thanh Van

The most special feature of the architecture of Hung Ky pagoda is the intricate decorative pieces of ceramics, after nearly a century still glaze color.

Located in Hung Ky Pagoda Alley, Hai Ba Trung District, Hung Ky Pottery Pagoda is a very unique ancient architectural of Hanoi.

The pagoda is also called Vu Hung Tu and its name is Vo Hung Truyen Am, and was built in 1932 by Mr. Tran Van Thanh (aka Hung Ky), a national bourgeois.

Under the roof, there are many decorative that recreate scenes in Journey to the West – a popular Chinese Buddhist novel.

The house behind the main hall has many original porcelain works, describing Buddhist stories.

Some works are also annotated with the Vietnamese script.

Source: kienthuc.com.vn

Hung Ky Pagoda – a unique ceramic pagoda of Hanoi
Nguyen Thanh Van