Phat Diem

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introduction

Phat Diem was once an important Catholic stronghold where even in the late 40's a private army seated. The cathedral and its outbuildings were built in 1891 by father six and is a mix of architecture-influences from Asia and Europe for this Christian prayer house. The complex consists of 6 buildings and was built in the Sino-Vietnamese architectural style.

The cathedral has a beautiful altar made of granite and is made of wooden cabbage. The clock tower is known from the novel the quiet American from Graham Greene. The cathedral is located about 26 kilometers from Ninh Binh and 120 km south of Hanoi in North Vietnam and is easy to reach.

kim son

At the bus station of Ninh Binh I am referred to the van with Kim Son. It is a bus trip along some churches and not a remarkably green landscape and if you do not know better you drive around in Eastern Europe. I assumed that here was only a cathedral complex and so look surprised that there is a whole city with a long, strikingly wide canal with locks and many bridges.

It is still a few hundred meters when I get out of the bus. At a small lake I see the bell tower in front of me with a small island. On it is a "Rio de Janeiro" Jesus statue, white and with spreaded arms. Where I expect a European cathedral with some "Asian" characteristics I see the opposite; it is a Vietnamese church with crosses built in a Sino-Vietnamese style.

Hordes with children I see around the lake and it turns out that the school just went out despite the fact that it is Sunday. I walk to the entrance which consists of a beautiful old gate and almost everyone is gone now. Quickly I walk to the largest building on the complex which turns out to be the cathedral; a man is already closing the doors on the sides and I have to hurry up to get in and take a look. It is built of coal wood and the pillars and roof are really fantastic. The only thing that affects me is the atmosphere and the interior despite the TV screens that are attached to the beams.

I walk to the altar which turns out to be made of a large block of granite before I’m sent out. I actually thought it was always open, this cathedral but in a way I’ve seen enough.

the quite american

There are four outbuildings that are all closed but luckily I can peek inside through the walls. It is a mix of a temple complex with large outdoor plants in which palm trees grow and the whole is beautifully maintained. Orange roof tiles interspersed with Chinese style roof tops, large gray brick walls, columns and huge crosses on the roof.

The complex was built in 1891 and became really a Catholic stronghold over the years, especially during the Vietminh-Franco war that raged here in the 40s and 50s. Of course I know the building of the scenes from the movie The Quiet American in which the protagonist stands on the balcony in the clock tower (the first building near the water) and sees the North Vietnamese and the French fighting.

I look at the grave of the founder Father six and also because the threat is there that it starts raining again I walk back. An old lady with a wicker conical hat tries to get some money from me but I walk through the gate back along the lake.

covered bridge

I take a look along the canal just outside the cathedral complex with its many bridges and locks. I just drove here past with the bus. There are some pieces floating on the water and suddenly I see a top of a body in the water.

Only the head stays above the water surface when the arms are stretched downwards and the woman tries to pick up something from the bottom of the river. No idea what they are looking for but it is a strange sight in the middle of the city. Further on I see the covered wooden bridge and I see numerous other only-walking bridges (even without any handrails or protection) in the distance.

Wicker hats from girls cycle up the almost triangle bridge and then bike away. An old couple on a bamboo raft moves on with two sticks in the water - ducks and birds do not show themselves afraid to land on the spit. Suddenly shrieking that decreases as time goes by - a sign that my bus is coming. I have to go back.

tips & advice (2014)

From the bus station in Ninh Binh every hour local buses go to Kim Son (another name for Phat Diem). I was told that the bus left on the hour, but my bus left at 10:15 am. I’ts about 26 km and the bus takes about an hour. There is even a bus station in Phat Diem but this bus does not stop there. Csts for the ride: 25,000 VND.

TIP:

Make a piece of paper with the name Nha Tho Phat Diem on it and show it to the bus driver. On the sides of the road are many (stone) poles with the number of miles to Phat Diem so you know when to prepare yourself.

Name: Queen Mini hotel

Address: 21, Hoang Hoa Tham Str, NINH BINH

Price: 120,000 VND (single)

Phone nr. : 0303871874

Email: ngannguyen.2010@yahoo.com.vn

Content:

This is a hostel near the train- and busstation of Ninh Binh and is well known by (Western) tourists. So do not expect

to be alone in this place. There are different types of rooms on three or four floors with (of course) different prices. The people who work there speak reasonable English. It is clean and you get a clean towel - there was also enough toilet paper. There is WIFI and it is clean.

I had a small room (No. 305) with a large window (with curtains) overlooking the back (no street) with a separate small shower and toilet. There was a fan and for a change there were a few hooks hanging on the wall to hang your bag and shirt. A drawback; I had a big louvredeur as a front door so you could look into my room next to the fact that you hear everything in the corridor (and hall). Above the door there was an open hole of 20 by 50 centimeters. A hole of the same size was in the toilet shower.

Phat-Diem-Cathedral-Christian-Church-Catholic-Vietnam

Spending time:

I walked about an hour on the complex of the cathedral (see above). It depends on whether the cathedral is open (I arrived 11:15 on Sunday and I could just enter the cathedral where I was sent out after 15 minutes.) If you want to see other things (eg the bridge) you can easily walk for half an hour or more along the canal with its bridges and bridge.

PAY ATTENTION:

There are still "people" who walk around trying to get you an entrance fee. Do not fall for this - the complex is free to enter. There are also some beggars walking around, so be wary of that.

You step past the canal in Phat Diem (on the right side when you go towards the cathedral) and then you can basically see the cathedral in the distance. It is located about 300 meters walk in the street that is at right angles to the busy road where you just got off. Just walk straight ahead until you reach the landscaped lake - there you will see the church lying behind the little island with the Jesus statue on it. Walk to the right to go to the entrance.