St Joseph\u2019s Cathedral (Nha Tho Lon<\/em>, the \u201cBig Church\u201d) is the oldest church in Hanoi and the seat of the Archdiocese of Hanoi. Its grey twin towers rise over a small square just west of Hoan Kiem Lake, and for many visitors it is the most European-looking corner of the city \u2014 until a scooter loaded with flowers rides past and a lemon tea seller sets out her stools.<\/p>\n The cathedral was built by the French between 1884 and 1886 and consecrated on Christmas Eve 1886. It is in the neo-Gothic style, and its bell towers, about 31 metres high, are often compared to Notre-Dame de Paris. It stands on the site of Bao Thien Pagoda, an 11th-century Ly dynasty landmark that had long fallen into ruin before the church was built.<\/p>\n The interior has a high vaulted ceiling, stained-glass windows made in France and an ornate gilded altar. A major restoration was completed in 2022, and a new pipe organ was installed the same year. The church is still very much in use: masses are held every day, and at Christmas the square overflows with thousands of people.<\/p>\n The streets around the cathedral \u2014 Nha Tho, Nha Chung and Ly Quoc Su \u2014 are some of the most pleasant in central Hanoi, with boutiques, caf\u00e9s, Ba Da Pagoda and old shophouses. In the 2010s the pavement in front of the cathedral became famous for tra chanh<\/em>, iced lemon tea drunk on tiny stools while snacking on sunflower seeds and chatting with friends. Locals jokingly call it tra chanh chem gio<\/em>, \u201clemon tea and gossip\u201d, and it is still one of the best places in Hanoi to watch young Hanoians unwind.<\/p>\n St Joseph\u2019s Cathedral is a stop on our half-day vintage jeep city tour. On the jeep street food tour and the sunset electric scooter tour we ride past it after dark, when the fa\u00e7ade is lit up.<\/p>\n Yes, and it costs nothing. Hanoi’s oldest church (1886) gives the city its most European corner, with neo-Gothic twin towers often compared to Notre-Dame de Paris. Even if you do not go inside, the little square in front is one of the best places in the Old Quarter to sit with an iced lemon tea and watch Hanoi go by, and the fa\u00e7ade is lovely lit up at night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hanois neugotische Kathedrale aus dem Jahr 1886: Majest\u00e4tische Zwillingst\u00fcrme, ein lebendiger Kirchplatz und der beliebteste Treffpunkt der Stadt f\u00fcr erfrischenden Eistee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60,"menu_order":4,"template":"","eta_destination":[9],"class_list":["post-158","eta_place","type-eta_place","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/eta_place"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place\/158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_place\/158\/revisions\/195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"eta_destination","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecotripasia.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eta_destination?post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Inside the cathedral<\/h3>\n
Nha Tho street and the lemon tea corner<\/h3>\n
Is St Joseph’s Cathedral worth visiting?<\/h2>\n