In the center of Saigon, Cha Tam found a three-hectare plot of land to build the church, which had been owned by nine Chinese. He organized a donation, which many people, including Catholic and non-Catholic, local residents and Chinese merchants, were willing to donate to build the church. Thanks to the delegation of Bishop Jean Pierre, the archdiocese of Saigon, Priest Pierre d ‘Assou was in charge of building the church. Realizing that situation, Admiral Lagrandière, the Governor of South Vietnam at that time, gave an order to build a church with the hope that the Chinese Catholic community would recover and develop again. He was born in Macau (China), then grew up in Hong Kong, so he had a wide knowledge about the language as well as the culture of Chinese people.Īt the end of the nineteenth century, when Priest Pierre d ‘Assou was serving in Saigon Cathedral, the number of local Chinese and Vietnamese Catholics had been decreasing dramatically, and they did not have any place to pray. Who is Cha Tam?Ĭha Tam is the Vietnamese name of Priest Pierre d ‘Assou, who contributed the most in building this construction, and also the first vicar of this church. 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. Opening hour: 07.00 – 12.00, 14.00 – 18.00 and 19.00 – 21.00 dailyĬha Tam Church, or Saint Francis Xavier Parish Church, is the first church for the Catholic parishioners of the local Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City. Location: 25 Hoc Lac, Ward 14, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City
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