Cha Tam Church, A Catholic Trait Inside Ho Chi Minh City

Cha Tam Church (St Francis Xavier Church) is the main Catholic church of Cholon’s Chinese community, at 25 Hoc Lac Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown. Built in 1900–1902, it puts a Gothic bell tower behind a Chinese triple gate, and Mass is still said in Cantonese every day. Entry is free; give it half an hour on a Cholon day.

Cha Tam Church Mass times and opening hours

Mass is said every day in Vietnamese and in Chinese (Cantonese). Monday to Friday: 5:30 am in Vietnamese, 5:30 pm in Chinese. Saturday: 5:30 am and 6:00 pm in Vietnamese, 7:30 pm in Chinese. Sunday: 5:30 am, 8:45 am and 4:00 pm in Vietnamese, 7:15 am and 5:30 pm in Chinese. These are the times on the parish website. The archdiocese’s directory lists the last Saturday Mass at 7:00 pm, so arrive by 7:00 pm.

There’s no ticket. Outside service times the doors are not always open: the church’s Google Maps listing (November 2026) shows it open all day only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 am to 6 pm, and otherwise around the Masses.

I. History of Cha Tam Church

Cha Tam Church, or Saint Francis Xavier Parish Church, is the main parish church of Cholon’s Chinese Catholics, a community that goes back to 1865. Built at the beginning of the twentieth century, this church has witnessed the up and down in the history of Saigon, the former name of Ho Chi Minh City, or the Far-East Pearl as the French called at that time.

1. Who is Cha Tam?

Cha Tam is the Vietnamese name of Priest Pierre d’Assou (Dam A To in Chinese), the first vicar of this church. He led its construction and played a key role in its founding. Born in Macau in 1855, he came to Saigon at the age of eight and had deep knowledge of Chinese language and culture.

In the late 19th century, while Father Tam was serving at Saigon Cathedral, Cholon’s Chinese Catholic congregation shrank from about 100 people to about 40. The community was older than the church: it got its first church in 1865, and Governor Lagrandière of Cochinchina had a larger one built in 1866.

In 1898 Bishop Jean-Marie Dépierre, head of the mission of western Cochinchina, assigned Priest Pierre d’Assou to revive the Chinese Catholic community. He organized a donation drive, receiving support from Catholics, non-Catholics, local residents, and Chinese merchants.

2. The Construction of Cha Tam Church

In the center of Cholon, Cha Tam found and bought a plot of about three mẫu, the old southern land measure, roughly three hectares.

On December 3, 1900, the feast of Saint Francis Xavier, Bishop Lucien Mossard laid the first stone, and the work was entrusted to the parish’s assistant priest, Father John the Baptist Huynh Tinh Huong. Two years later, on January 10, 1902, the church was inaugurated with a solemn dedication of the chancel, attended by priests, parishioners, and government officials.

Alongside the church, Cha Tam also built a school, a nursery, a boarding house, and rental homes to provide shelter for local Catholics.

3. Some Historical Events

In 1934, Priest Pierre d ‘Assou passed away and he was buried at the wall near the church entrance. After that, Cha Tam church witnessed the deterioration and the decrease in the number of parishioners. It was not until 1952, when priests of the Paris Foreign Missions Society arrived from Guangxi in China, that parish life picked up again.

In the following years, some other churches for Chinese were built in Saigon as well as the South of Vietnam. Today the parish counts about 3,000 Catholics, according to a 2023 study.

On November 1^st, 1963, a military coup broke out. President of Republic of Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother and political adviser Ngo Dinh Nhu spent the night in the Cholon house of Ma Tuyen, a Chinese merchant. The next morning, after the early Mass for All Souls’ Day, they came to Cha Tam Church to pray, then gave themselves up to the coup faction. Soon after 10 a.m. an armoured personnel carrier took them away, and both of them were killed inside it on the way to the army’s Joint General Staff headquarters.

The church was last restored in an 18-month job finished in December 2024, after pieces of the ceiling fell during a Mass. Steel replaced the decayed wooden frame of the vault, the bell tower got a new timber frame for its century-old bells, and the walls were repainted the earthy yellow you see now.

II. Highlights of Cha Tam Church

1. Structure

The grounds of St. Francis Xavier Parish Church are divided into many distinct constructions such as surrounding yard, house of charity, houses for rent, kindergarten, community house, school and meeting hall; each of which assumes different purposes.

A statue of Mary Mother stands in the center of the front yard inside a traditional Chinese-style house. Behind it, two reliefs show 120 Chinese Martyrs and 117 Vietnamese Martyrs. To the left, Saint Francis Xavier is honored in a yellow and white Gothic-style house. On the right, a statue of Jesus Christ stands on the cross.

The parish grounds have a yellow charity house. A 2023 study, citing archdiocese figures from 2012, reports about 120 free lunches daily for the elderly and poor, and a free clinic with medical checkups and medicine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Next to it, white rental houses have potted plants and flowers on their balconies.

To the left of the church is Thien Loc Kindergarten. On the right, the yellow three-story Francis Meeting House has eight classrooms and a hall for 400 people.

2. Architecture

2.1. Outside Cha Tam Church

The main gate is a triple-arched entrance inspired by Chinese symbolism, replacing dragons and the Sun with two carps and a Christian cross. Painted red and dark green, the narrow gate bears the church’s name in Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese beneath its tiled roof.

From the entrance, the church’s Gothic features stand out with high arches, ventilation windows, and a soaring bell tower. Closer inspection reveals Vietnamese influences, such as lotus buds on cylindrical pillars, reflecting the principles of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements from the Yi Ching.

The exterior is Western in form but built on ancient Chinese philosophy. The structure follows Yin-Yang principles, featuring two corridors on each side, four windows in the central tower, and an octagonal upper floor with eight windows. The roof is divided into eight sections.

2.2. Inside Cha Tam Church

The church’s interior follows the symmetry typical of Catholic architecture. The nave has Gothic elements with vaulted ceilings, green and white cylindrical pillars, and wooden furnishings, creating a familiar sanctuary ambiance.

Unique decorative details set Cha Tam Church apart. Above the central cross, the Chinese seal character “Phuoc” (Blessing) is displayed. Vermillion pillars, an uncommon color in Gothic design, flank the cross. Parallel inscriptions in Chinese on the central pillars encourage kindness and compassion.

III. What to Do at Cha Tam Church?

1. Taking Beautiful Photos

Cha Tam Church’s unique and solemn architecture makes it a great spot for memorable photos on your Ho Chi Minh City tour. The church is surrounded by a tranquil garden with colorful flowers and green trees. The yellow exterior walls and community house provide beautiful backdrops for photos.

2. Supporting the Parish Charity

The charity house at Cha Tam Church is run by the parish, and its website says nothing about taking volunteers. To help or donate, ask the parish office first (+84 28 3856 0274).

3. Discovering the Neighborhood

Cha Tam Church is part of Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, surrounded by temples and pagodas reflecting Chinese and Vietnamese architecture. After visiting the church, take a walk: Binh Tay Market is about 800 m away, Thien Hau Pagoda about 1.4 km, and Tam Son Hoi Quan Pagoda is in the same quarter. Our half-day Hidden Treasures of Ho Chi Minh City tour stops at Cha Tam, Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau Temple with a guide.

4. Enjoying Local Food

Kim Bien Market is about 500 m away by road. The streets around it are lined with Chinese-Vietnamese food stalls.

IV. How to Get to Cha Tam Church?

The church is located near the intersection of Hoc Lac Street and Tran Hung Dao Street, just south of Nguyen Trai Street. It is about 6–7 km by road from Ben Thanh Market and about 9 km from Tan Son Nhat Airport, so you can take a taxi or a Grab bike and you will reach the church in 20 minutes or more, depending on traffic.

Besides, you can choose to go by bus: city buses stop at “Nha tho Cha Tam” on Nguyen Trai Street, a short walk from the gate.

V. Tips on Visiting Cha Tam Church

There are some minor but necessary tips for your visit to Cha Tam Church:

• It would be better to visit the church during a Mass in Chinese (5:30 pm on weekdays) or on special occasions such as at Christmas, when the Chinese Mass is held in the big second-floor hall of the building on the right and the Vietnamese one in the main courtyard.
• Dress modestly, with no see-through clothes or very short skirts, and keep quiet inside: it is a working church.
• Photograph the outside freely. Inside, skip the flash, and ask before taking pictures during a Mass.
• Keep eye on your belongings. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are not only pickpockets but also street robbery.
• The weather in Ho Chi Minh City is quite hot, so remember to bring a hat or umbrella.
• Avoid going out at rush hour. It is a nightmare of locals and will waste you a lot of time.

Catholic churches in Ho Chi Minh City: how Cha Tam is different

The city’s best-known church is the French-built Notre Dame Cathedral in the centre. Cha Tam is the one to see in Cholon: it was built for the Chinese community, its gate looks like a temple’s, and two of its five Sunday Masses are in Cantonese. Cho Quan Church, 3.5 km away, is a much older parish, dating from 1727.

Sources: St Francis Xavier Parish (Cha Tam Church) website; Archdiocese of Saigon, parish directory; Mai Thuy Anh, “Cong giao cua nguoi Hoa o Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh”, Nghien cuu Ton giao (Religious Studies Review), no. 4, 2023.