ATTRACTIONS - Phat Diem

The Cathedral

Away from the limestone rocks in the flat rice-field delta east of Ninh Binh, the remarkable and unusual 19th-century PHAT DIEM CATHEDRAL is a stand-out amongst ‘Sino-Vietnamese architecture,’ in that the French had far less to do with it than the cathedrals you find in Hanoi, Saigon or elsewhere in the country. Almost missed on a backstreet in this humble town, the cathedral is famed for its generous use of traditionally Buddhist styles for the Catholic site, including arched tiled temple-style rooftops, grotto altars and its position on a small lake. It’s also known as the setting in some of Graham Greene’s The Quiet American, retelling the days when French/Vietnam battles waged in the area.

Nearest to the lake – and its manmade lake with a marble statue of an open-armed Jesus – is the last part to be built, the open, three-floor BELL TOWER (1899), with two large slab-like sitting areas (often filled with local nappers) and a giant drum on the second storey and a two-ton bell on the third.

Just behind is the 74m-long CATHEDRAL (1891), with an elegant front façade and a giant, all-wood interior with 52 teak pillars. Outside are ornate wood carvings on 56 doorways (52 of which are rebuilt – a 1972 bombing destroyed 52 of them!).

Surrounding the cathedral are four CHAPELS made of wood or stone to peek into. One of which, St Peter’s (back to the right of the cathedral, when looking from the bell tower) was also bombed in 1972, then rebuilt. Behind are a few rock grottos.

The cathedral’s designer was Vietnamese priest Tran Luc (aka ‘Father Six’), responsible for the many traditional Vietnamese elements of the cathedral (which was built from 1875 to 1899). This was unique at time when French colonials built many churches in Vietnam in strict European fashion – such as the cathedrals in Hanoi and Saigon. FATHER SIX’S TOMB is located between the cathedral and bell tower.

The church closed in 1954 after many Catholic Vietnamese migrated to South Vietnam – and away from the communists. Now it’s quite active; supposedly 100,000 Catholics live in the area.

→ Entrance to the church is free. When entering the town from Ninh Binh, you’ll follow the main street along a small canal. Shortly after a Japanese-style roofed wood bridge on the canal, a simple sign points to ‘Nha Tho’ (church) to the right.

Accommodations

If you want to stay, there are a couple budget hotels on the small road to the cathedral. One is THU HUONG (tel 030-862-336, 53 Thi Tran St; rooms US$10).

Eating

To the right of the cathedral are a few eating places, mostly for drinks and ice cream.

An excellent spot for cheap fresh seafood dishes is signed to the left as you approach the cathedral lake from the main road: THUY PHUONG (tel 030-720-304). It’s in the back of a small house, with seating areas in back or over a small pond. The cook likes to pull out the live snakes from a tub to show you how fresh some dishes are.

Transport

Phat Diem town is 30km east of Ninh Binh. Head out on the road east of the bus station (across Lim Bridge from Tran Hung Dao St/Hwy 1). There’s regular bus service between Ninh Binh and Phat Diem, but it’s easily reached on your own by motorbike – or by motorbike taxi.

You’ll need about four hours to get there, look around, and get back to Ninh Binh. Look out for the cat meat (thit meo) restaurant on the way. I only found one. Dog meat (thit cho) is another story.

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