Phat Diem Stone Church is also known as the Catholic capital of Vietnam. So what is unique about the church’s architecture? Let’s find out and explore with the Origin Vietnam team right after this!
1. Where is Phat Diem Stone Cathedral?
Phat Diem Stone Cathedral is located in Phat Diem town, Kim Son, Ninh Binh province. The church is located 27 km southeast of Ninh Binh city, 122 km southeast of Hanoi capital center and 148 km from Noi Bai International Airport – Hanoi.
2. How is Phat Diem Stone Cathedral Unique?
Phat Diem Stone Cathedral is a Catholic church complex of about 22 hectares, built from 1875 and completed in 1899. The church is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Vietnam. The church complex is built entirely of natural stone and wood, very sturdy, including the main church and 5 small churches.
The Catholic church was built with a bit of a Western style, but the curved roof shaped like a boat’s bow carries the traditional style of ancient Vietnamese temples and pagodas. This uniqueness has contributed to increasing the number of tourists coming to visit and admire the beauty of this stone church.
3. When is the best time to travel to Phat Diem Stone Cathedral?
Phat Diem Stone Cathedral, Ninh Binh Province in Northern Vietnam, is located in a humid subtropical climate zone with four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. According to travel experience, visitors can visit Phat Diem Stone Church at any time of the year, each season brings its own beauty.
However, the best time to visit Phat Diem Stone Church is during Christmas. At this time, the entire church is decorated with sparkling lights, miniatures, pine trees and many interesting activities take place in a joyful, jubilant atmosphere.
4. How to get to Phat Diem Stone Cathedral?
Tourists depart from Hanoi to the center of Ninh Binh province by motorbike, car, bus, train. Then, tourists can go from Ninh Binh city to Phat Diem stone church by the following means:
4.1. Travel by bus
Bus is a public means of transportation to Phat Diem Stone Cathedral that many tourists choose. Visitors from Ninh Binh city take bus number 04 Ninh Binh city – Yen Mo – Lai Thanh (Kim Son) or bus number 02 Ninh Binh – Lai Thanh (Kim Son). The bus stop is quite close to the church, so visitors can walk to the tourist destination or take a motorbike taxi or taxi.
4.2. Travel by motorbike/taxi
Tourists from far away, traveling to Ninh Binh by bus or train can use the self-drive motorbike rental service to move freely or rent a taxi. Some reputable motorbike rental shops for tourists to refer to: Duc Anh, Duc Thang, Viet Dung… Tourists travel from Ninh Binh to Phat Diem Stone Church in the following 2 ways:
- From Ninh Binh city, follow Highway 10 to the Southeast, go about 27km then turn right and go another 1km to reach the church.
- From Ninh Binh city, go straight on QL1A to the South, go about 8.5km then turn left onto QL12B. Then, go about 10km then turn left onto DT480 road, go 100m then turn right to cross Phuong Nai bridge => Tan Thanh => QL10 go another 1km to reach the church.
5. Discover the beauty of Phat Diem Stone Cathedral
Phat Diem church complex was built in the shape of the letter “Vương” including the main church and 5 small churches. Among them, there is a church built of natural stone, called the stone church, in addition to a bell tower and an artificial cave!
5.1. Phuong Dinh – Bell Tower
Phuong Dinh means bell tower, shaped like a large village communal house, consisting of 3 floors. The entrance gate of Phuong Dinh is designed like a Tam Quan gate in traditional Vietnamese communal house and pagoda architecture and is built of monolithic green stone.
The top floor of Phuong Dinh has 5 towers. In particular, the central tower houses a 2-ton bell with a height of 1.9m. This bell can emit sound 10km away. If standing here, visitors can admire the entire view of Phat Diem stone church.
5.2. Cathedral area
The large church is located in the center with a length of 74m, a width of 21m and includes 4 roofs, 5 entrances with elaborate carvings. The main room is the sanctuary with a large altar made of monolithic stone creating a majestic and magnificent space.
The most prominent feature of the church is the roof system built in the traditional overlapping roof style with two roof levels, interrupted by windows to let in light. At the end of the church is a palanquin made of marble, arched into 5 entrances to the church. The top is covered with fish-tail tiles with delicate curved ends. This is a unique combination of two Eastern and Western architectural styles, making many visitors here admire this novelty.
5.3. Church of the Heart of Mary
In the system of 5 small churches, there is a church that makes a strong impression on visitors, which is the Church of the Heart of Mary. The church was first built in 1883, is 15.30m long, 8.50m wide, 6m high and is made entirely of stone.
In particular, visitors coming here will admire many beautiful reliefs inside the Church of the Heart of Mary. The most elaborately carved and prominent relief in the church is the four noble flowers: pine, apricot, chrysanthemum, bamboo, symbolizing the beauty of the four seasons of the year.
6. Enjoy specialties at Phat Diem Stone Cathedral
In Kim Son land, there is an extremely rich traditional cuisine that visitors should not miss when coming to Phat Diem stone church. Let’s find out about the specialties here!
6.1. Kim Son Wine
Kim Son wine is a quality, prestigious drink and especially has many health benefits. The wine is brewed entirely from yellow sticky rice, natural well water and yeast. When finished, the wine is clear white, when drinking it will make you feel comfortable, pleasant and not have headaches, fatigue or dizziness.
Each time you drink, you only need to drink a sufficient amount to improve your health and increase your resistance. In addition to drinking, Kim Son wine can also be used to soak as medicine, disinfect, reduce fever or beautify the skin.
6.2. Phat Diem eel vermicelli
Phat Diem eel vermicelli is a specialty that visitors to Kim Son should not miss. The eel used to make eel vermicelli must be large and fresh to be delicious. The eel is cleaned of slime, the intestines and body are separated, seasoned and processed.
The vermicelli used is the chewy, soft type of dong vermicelli, blanched in boiling water and then soaked in water to make the vermicelli soft but not mushy or tough. When eating eel vermicelli, you will feel the sweetness of the eel meat and eaten with raw vegetables: banana flower, lettuce, basil, enhancing the flavor of the eel dish.
6.3. To Nhu vermicelli with meatballs
Bun Moc To Nhu is a famous delicacy of Kim Son land. Meat to make Moc must be selected from thigh meat, remove fat, pound, grind, add spices then shape into bite-sized balls, drop into a pot of boiling water and boil until cooked.
For each bowl of bun moc, the seller will put the noodles on a separate plate, the broth and the meatballs in a separate bowl, and the raw vegetables in a separate plate. When eating, the diners will put the noodles into the broth as they eat to make the noodles chewier and clearly feel the delicious, sweet taste of the meatballs and broth. This is a unique feature that only To Nhu bun moc has.
6.4. Eel salad
The eel salad is considered one of the best local specialties. After being cleaned, the fish is marinated with spices such as ginger, lemongrass, and dried onions. The fish salad is served with raw vegetables such as star fruit, figs, chili, herbs, and sweet and sour sauce.
When eating, the fish has a sweet taste, mixed with the sour taste of vinegar, the spicy taste of ginger and the rich taste of roasted sticky rice combined with the slightly astringent taste of vegetables, making the dish unique and leaving an impression on visitors.
7. Accommodation when traveling to Phat Diem Stone Cathedral
As a tourist destination not to be missed when coming to Kim Son, it is not difficult to find a place to stay here. Let’s check out the famous accommodation addresses around this stone church area.
7.1. Hotels and motels in Phat Diem Stone Cathedral
For the convenience of long-term trips to Phat Diem Stone Church. We have compiled the most prestigious and quality hotels and motels for visitors to refer to:
- Kim Son Hotel. Address: Tri Chinh, Phat Diem Town, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Hang Hai Hotel. Address: 108, Phat Diem Dong, Phat Diem Town, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Thu Huong Hotel. Address: National Highway 10, Phat Diem Town, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Guesthouse 123. Address: Phat Diem Dong, Phat Diem Town, Kim Son, Ninh BinhHoang Huy Guesthouse
- Hoang Huy Guesthouse. Address: Kim Dong, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Royal Guesthouse. Address: An Hoa, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Song Que Guesthouse. Address: QL12B, Con Thoi, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Diem Hen Guesthouse. Address: QL12B, Kim My, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- An Hoa Guesthouse. Address: QL10, An Hoa, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Duy Chinh Guesthouse 28. Address: Dinh Hoa, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Duc An Guesthouse. Address: Phat Diem Tay, Phat Diem Town, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- Huong Lan Guesthouse. Address: Xoḿ 8, Nga Dien, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
- 79 Guesthouse. Address: 79 Phat Diem Tay, Phat Diem Town, Kim Son, Ninh Binh
7.2. Beautiful homestay at Phat Diem Stone Church
For tourists who love intimacy and simplicity, choosing a homestay is the most suitable. Homestays with beautiful views, quality and amenities, tourists can refer to:
- Dong Homestay. Address: Hamlet 2, Kim Son District, Ninh Binh
8. Some notes when traveling to Phat Diem Stone Cathedral
To have a complete, economical and wonderful trip to Kim Son – Ninh Binh, visitors should note some useful travel experiences below:
- Visitors should dress modestly and politely to show respect and not make noise or disturb other visitors.
- You should check the weather before traveling to choose sunny days, favorable for visiting and learning about the church.
- You should book hotels, motels, and homestays at least 2 weeks before your trip to have more options and avoid running out of rooms.
- Bring full identification documents for convenience when checking in for flights, checking into hotels, and renting cars.
- There are also stalls selling souvenirs and specialties of Ninh Binh, so after visiting, visitors can browse and buy gifts for relatives and friends.
9. Famous tourist attractions near Phat Diem Stone Cathedral
Besides Phat Diem Stone Cathedral, there are many other famous tourist attractions in Ninh Binh that visitors can visit:
- Phat Diem covered bridge. Address: Phat Diem town, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province
- Tam Diep Pineapple Hill. Address: Dong Giao farm, Tam Diep city, Ninh Binh
- Ma Tien Cave. Address: Ma Tien village, Yen Dong, Yen Mo, Ninh Binh
- Tam Coc – Bich Dong. Address: Ninh Hai, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh
- Hang Mua. Address: Ninh Xuan, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh
Phat Diem Stone Church represents a combination of East and West architectural styles, both new and unique. This place promises to be a tourist destination that brings visitors useful knowledge and relaxing moments at the church.
If you have any questions about the itinerary or other attractive places in Ninh Binh, please contact us. We are Origin Vietnam – the leading tour operator in Vietnam. With a team of enthusiastic and experienced consultants, we will help you have the best experience.
