Cho Quan Church

Cho Quan parish was established in 1722, is the oldest parish of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City. Truong Vinh Ky - a Vietnamese scholar said that the first parishioners were immigrants from Hue. By 1725, the parish had about 300 parishioners, Cho Quan became the center to welcome the Central people. The first chapel of the parish was built in 1674. In 1723, Jesuit priest Emmanuel Quitaon came to preach and converted the chapel into a church. Cho Quan Church was rebuilt many times, in 1727, 1733, 1793, 1862, 1882. In 1882, Vicar Priest Nicolaas Hamm started construction of the cathedral. This work lasted 14 years, through 6 generations of pastors until 1896, the church was inaugurated and has existed until now.

With a total area of 16,922m2, Cho Quan Parish project not only includes a church but also has many related works such as a public primary school, a house of love, a garden with many trees. Currently, Cho Quan Church has a charity clinic managed by the Red Cross Society of District 5. In addition, this place also has a place for local people's community activities such as jogging, morning exercise or enjoying the fresh air in the park in front of the church.

The church building includes the nave, the steeple, the 12-room catechist, the meeting room, the remains and the reading room, all of which are harmoniously and beautifully arranged to bring a sense of relaxation and comfort to the church. parishioners as well as tourists.

Overall, you will easily recognize the typical Gothic architecture in Cho Quan Church. The gate of Cho Quan Church is a spear-shaped gate with dark blue iron grids, this is the most recognizable feature in the architecture of a Catholic church. On the arch of the gate is the name "Cho Quan Parish Church" in bronze color, written in both English and Vietnamese. Stepping through the gate, you will see a path between two rows of trees leading to the main door.

Cho Quan Church stands out with its brilliant yellow color in the shade of green trees around. The red tile roof of the church is covered with moss, creating an ancient look for the whole building. The doors and windows of the church are high, the arched top is symmetrically arranged in front as well as on both sides of Cho Quan Church to catch light and air outside easily. In addition, in the grounds around the church, there is a cave worshiping Our Lady.

The most remarkable thing when looking from the outside of Cho Quan church is definitely the bell tower. It consists of three floors, from low to high is the bell tower, the steeple floor and the top floor. In the tower there are five bells, two bells are used for weekdays, two bells are used for important occasions and one is for funerals. Only on special holidays do all five bells ring together. All five bells were transported from France by sea and moved to the tower with the help of five elephants. Over the 100-year history of this work, the bell tower has been repaired three times.

Stepping through the main door to go inside, you will be surprised by the magnificence and elegance of Cho Quan Church. Large pillars line up in two impressive straight lines, giving depth to the main passage. The church has four rows of large pews and two rows of small pews. On the left is the altar of Our Lady, on the right is the altar of Saint Joseph. In the center of the nave is a sculpture of Jesus Christ on the cross, in the background is another painting of Jesus, below which is a small passage leading to the bell tower. In addition, inside the church, there are also many small sculptures of Christ on display. The color inside the Cho Quan church is a combination of the white of the ceiling arches, the bright yellow of the pillars and the brown color of the furniture. All the details combine harmoniously to create a dignified and sparkling beauty for Cho Quan Church.

With its unique beauty, Cho Quan Church is definitely the ideal place for you when coming to District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. The quiet grounds as well as the yellow walls of the church will help you have the best photos to show off to friends and relatives. Furthermore, you can choose to take pictures of the busy streets and daily life of the locals outside the church. It would be a great way to explore Ho Chi Minh City.

On special Catholic occasions such as Christmas and Easter, Cho Quan church is decorated with colorful, shimmering lights along the main aisle. Coming to this church after sunset, you will not be surprised at the shimmering there. This is also a good opportunity to get an idea of how a Catholic ceremony is performed.

Opening hours: Cho Quan Church is open every day of the week

Morning from 05:00 - 11:00

Afternoon from 13:00 - 21:00