During our time in Ho Chi Minh, we made a quick stop by the Tan Dinh Church, also known as the Pink Cathedral. The Tân Định Church is a quirky landmark that draws numerous visitors every year due to its flamboyant coloring. So of course, we decided that we had to make a quick stop as well.

Pink Cathedral Saigon

Founding of the Pink Cathedral

The church was constructed in the 1880s during the French colonial period and features architecture in the Roman style. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of HCM so it would make sense. While not originally pink, the church underwent renovations in 1957 and was painted a salmon pink outside, and a strawberries and cream pink inside.

Tan Dinh Church is the second largest church in Ho Chi Minh (only behind the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica in District 1). Because of its size and coloring, the church stands in stark contrast everything surrounding it.

Visit During Service To See The Inside

When we visited, we were not able to take a tour inside the facility to see the main hall. However, we could see inside just a little bit from the gated doors. We would have liked to go inside but we still enjoyed walking around the grounds. During services, anyone is allowed in and can partake in services operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City.

It probably would have been neat to experience a service there but we likely wouldn’t have been able to understand the language – the service is in Vietnamese.The surrounding grounds, while not particularly expansive, are well decorated and feature multiple stelles and statues depicting various angels, the Virgin Mary, Disciples, and Jesus. Because of the tropical setting of Ho Chi Minh, the surrounding gardens contained myriad tropical flowers and plants that only further the extravagant decor.

We also found a few people catching an afternoon nap here. Whether they were homeless, workers, or just looking for a quite place, they seemed to be enjoying themselves in the shade. It appeared that people were preparing some stands for Tet, which was a few days away. This involved a fair bit of construction actually, and they looked to be very excited for the upcoming festivities.

Where To Find The Pink Cathedral

You can find the church situated at 289 Hai Ba Trung street, in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City.