Sunday, December 30, 2018

Is this the world's most wonderful white cathedral? St Joseph's in Hanoi, Vietnam

On the forecourt is a statue of Our Lady, Queen of Peace.
Behind and to the right on the wall is a panel showing the last supper of Jesus, with the disciples.

The twin tower exterior reminds you of Notre Dame of Paris.

Inside it is all white, with red lines. Stained glass windows which were made in France show the saints. Probably not all the saints. I believe the Roman Catholics, The French (and Italians and Spanish) have a saint for every day of the year.

A surprise was that the service on a Sunday morning was in French, not the local Vietnamese language.

A sign said that an English language service will be held early January 2019.

I liked the jewellery sold in cases at the entrance, but nobody was around to take our money. A woman did come around with a hat for a collection.

I recognized internationally known features of the mass, the response from the audience, and later in the service the wafer offered to those congregants who went forward to receive it.

The singing echoed around, amplified by slim Bose speakers attached low on the pillars.

More Information From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph's_Cathedral,_Hanoi
Travel information
For hotels
booking.com
Comparison site:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/index
For airlines
travelok.com
vietJetair.com (Comprehensive list of budget airlines in Wikivoyage.)
For transport
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/

Language
Duolingo.com 
(Remember to click on the sound symbol to hear how words are pronounced.) 

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Please share links to your favourite posts. I have several more on Hanoi, Halong Bay and Vietnam.

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