Two prayerful, architectural gems in Vietnam’s Central Highlands

Situated on Nguyen Hue Street in Kon Tum city, the Cathedral of Kon Tum has been a popular destination for visitors. The church was built by French pastors from 1913 to 1918.

The place is also called “the wooden cathedral”, for it is almost completely made of wood. The architect designed the resident halls in Roman style along with the stilt house structure of the Ba Na people. A tall wooden cross on top of the church adds to its majesty and beauty. The Ba Na are an ethnic group of Vietnam living primarily in the Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum, as well as the coastal provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen.

Wooden pillars line a corridor in the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, many small columns are connected with wooden arcs.

The chapel has colorful stained glass windows that depict anecdotes in the Bible. The chapel becomes magnificent when sunlight filters through these windows. 

The patterns and details of the wooden building incorporates local culture.

The wooden cathedral in Kon Tum attracts many visitors every day. On Christmas, thousands of believers from different ethnic groups flock to the place. They even camp nearby to attend the celebrations here.

Another notable building in Kon Tum is the Episcopal See on Tran Hung Dao Street. Built in 1935, this building also combines Western and indigenous architectural features.

The building, 100 meters long, has three floors. The first floor is built of bricks and concrete, while the two higher floors have wooden frames and tiled roofs.

The long, wide corridor has floors, trusses, columns, ceilings and stairs made from valuable local wood.

The interior of the chapel is made of dark wood, creating an ancient, majestic atmosphere.

Perennials line a path to the building. The episcopal see is open to the public on all days except Tuesdays.