1. Where is Tam Toa Church?
The ruins of Tam Toa church are located on Nguyen Du street, Dong My ward, Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. About 170 km northwest of Hue city and about 500 km south of Hanoi capital.
2. How is the ruins of Tam Toa church unique?
Not only is the cathedral with ancient beauty located peacefully on the Nhat Le river. Tam Toa Church in Quang Binh is also one of the oldest churches in this land.
Despite experiencing many ups and downs and suffering countless storms of bombs and bullets during the war. Today, Tam Toa Church in Quang Binh still retains its original beauty. It becomes one of the spiritual and religious tourist destinations loved by many people.
3. When is the best time to visit Tam Toa church ruins?
Visitors can visit Tam Toa church in Quang Binh at any time of the year. Because this place is located in the center of Dong Hoi city, when traveling here, you should refer to the weather of Dong Hoi city area.
Dong Hoi city is located to the east of the Truong Son range and has terrain that gradually tilts from West to East. Regarding climate, Dong Hoi is in the tropical monsoon region and is bring the ocean climate. The city has two distinct seasons of the year: the dry season and the rainy season.
Therefore, the most suitable time for you to travel to Dong Hoi is April and May. If you want to swim, the best time to go to Dong Hoi is June and July.
4. How to get to the ruins of Tam Toa church?
Because the ruins of Tam Toa church are located right in the center of Dong Hoi city. Therefore, you can easily get there by taxi, rent a car or go by motorbike, which are all very convenient.
You can open the App on your phone, find the address of Tam Toa church and follow the instructions on the App. Or you can also ask local people for directions, they are very friendly and hospitable.
5. Memorable historical milestones at Tam Toa church
In 1886, Tam Toa Church was officially built and became the place of religious activities of Tam Toa Parish in Dong Hoi at that time. The church has a unique Portuguese architectural style. People renovated and redesigned the church to be more spacious and complete in 1940.
In 1954, after the Geneva Accords, most Catholics here had to migrate to the South. In 1964, the United States started a war with air and naval forces, causing the church to be heavily damaged and abandoned.
After regaining independence, the government kept the church ruins as war evidence, recalling a tragic time. In 1997, the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province decided to turn the church bell tower area into a war crime evidence area and a provincial-level cultural and historical relic, strictly protected.
6. The unique beauty of Tam Toa Church
Although the war has receded, traces are still imprinted on every detail of Tam Toa Church in Quang Binh. This place has become a meaningful tourist attraction, making many people admire and impressed.
Quang Binh Tam Toa Church has a height of 10m and was built right next to the peaceful Nhat Le river. Standing from the top of the building, you can fully admire the poetic and lyrical beauty of this place. In particular, this church was once the baptism place of the famous Vietnamese poet Han Mac Tu with the saint name François Nguyen Trong Tri in 1912.
As one of the historical evidences, Tam Toa Church in Quang Binh is preserved as a reminder and educates the next generation to remember the arduous days of the nation, to gain independence and freedom like today. .
Visiting the remnants of Tam Toa Church, visitors will not be able to help but feel regretful at a unique work destroyed by war, or nostalgic and emotional about a golden age of the Vietnamese people.
7. Construction of a new Tam Toa church
On March 26, 1997, the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province granted Tam Toa parish a plot of land about 2km from the old church with an area of about 6,000m2 to build a new church. The church is expected to have 2 floors with a width of 16m, a length of 43m, a twin tower height of 35m and Gothic architecture. In particular, the lower floor serves parish activities and the upper floor is used as a place of worship.
On April 21, 2016, Bishop Leopoldo Girelli, Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, Bishop Giuse Vo Duc Minh and a large number of monks, priests and parishioners laid the first brick to build the new Tam Toa church. .
8. Enjoying Quang Binh specialties when traveling to Tam Toa church ruins
8.1 Bot loc cake
Perhaps only in Quang Binh there is a tapioca sandwich. It’s still cake with extra fillings, but it’s not meat, pate, or sausage. It’s tapioca balls with full of shrimp and green beans and seasoned with spicy sauce.
When eating, you will feel the toughness of the tapioca flour, the rich sweetness of the shrimp, and the fleshy green bean filling, creating a rustic but extremely attractive dish. Because this dish is quite unfamiliar, many tourists buy it to try and enjoy.
8.2 Nham fish
Nham fish (also known as a type of shark) is a common species in Quang Binh so few people know about this fish. Because it is quite rare, when catching fish, fishermen only bring it out to invite guests.
At first glance, you will see that its shape is quite similar to a shark, its skin is rough, its carcass has very little fat, and is delicious. Catfish is processed into many dishes such as fish hotpot, fish porridge… but the most popular is catfish salad.
8.3 Porridge soup
Porridge soup (also known as noodle porridge by Quang Binh people) – One of the dishes with a rather strange name to Northern and Southern tourists.
Quang Binh porridge soup with delicious flavor is famous for the rich and unforgettable flavor of tapioca noodle soup or rice flour, the sweetness of the broth, the combination of shrimp and lean meat served with ram rolls.
Porridge soup is a favorite dish of many people, so you can find places selling it all over Quang Binh, from markets, sidewalk stalls to restaurants.
9. Accommodation when visiting the ruins of Tam Toa church
Because Dong Hoi city is a famous tourist destination in Vietnam, you don’t have to worry about where to stay. Below are some hotels that you can refer to when traveling to Dong Hoi.
- Muong Thanh Luxury Nhat Le Hotel. Address: Hai Thanh, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh.
- Sun Spa Resort. Address: Bao Ninh commune, Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh.
- Melia Vinpearl Quang Binh. Address: Hai Dinh Ward, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh.
- Gold Coast Hotel Resort & Spa. Address: Bao Ninh Commune, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh.
- Rex Quang Binh Hotel. Address: Nam Ly, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh.
- Royal Quang Binh Hotel. Address: Hai Dinh Ward, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh.
10. Some famous tourist attractions near the ruins of Tam Toa church
Besides Tam Toa Church, when traveling to Quang Binh, you can combine visiting many other attractive destinations such as:
- Phong Nha Cave.
- Paradise Cave.
- Vung Chua – Yen Island.
- Canh Duong mural village.
- Da Nhay beach.
- En cave.
- Tien Son cave.
- Son Doong cave.
- Nhat Le beach.
- Chay River, Dark Cave,…
Each location has its own unique beauty, which will certainly bring visitors new experiences. The ruins of Tam Toa Church in Quang Binh are rich in cultural, historical and artistic values. It becomes one of the prides of Quang Binh land. The project is currently being restored, promising to bring residents and tourists from all over extremely unique experiences in the near future.
Please contact Origin Vietnam – the leading tour operator in Vietnam. We will take you to amazingly beautiful destinations in Vietnam in general and Quang Binh in particular. We are also bringing you the best experiences during your vacation in Vietnam.
Images Source: Internet
