Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City was founded by French colonists and constructed in downtown Saigon between 1863 and 1880. After the French conquest of Saigon, the Roman Catholic Church began religious services for the French colonists.

The cathedral has many special characteristics, and all the original materials for building were imported from France. A glass company in France provided 56 glass squares and many tiles feature carvings of the name of the region where they were produced.

In 1959, the Bishop of the Saigon parish visited the Vatican to attend the Holy Mother Congress. During his visit he ordered a Peaceful Notre Dame statue to be crafted from granite. After the statue’s arrival and installation in Saigon, Cardinal Aganiannian arrived from Rome to chair the ceremony for the statue. After this ceremony the cathedral was known as the Notre Dame Cathedral.

In 2005 a rumour that the statue had shed a tear quickly circulated around the city of Ho Chi Minh. Thousands of people flocked to the Cathedral to witness the spectacle causing major traffic congestion. Authorities were forced to close roads around the site, and the Bishop made a statement denying the teardrop incident.

His statement did little to disperse the crowds who continued to swarm to the statue. The story started with a rumour that a tear had flowed down the right side of the statue.