In Vietnam, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception to be Restored

According to the press agency Ucanews on July 12, 2017, the archbishopric received the building permit on June 30, and the workers started erecting barriers around the cathedral on July 4. The roof and the two bell towers are the main areas that will be restored: 123,800 new tiles, imported from France and Germany, will be put on the roof. The new material for the two nearly 200-feet towers will also be imported from abroad. The walls, floors, stained glass windows, bells, doors, windows and lighting will also be renovated.

Again according to Ucanews, Fr. Ignatius Ho Van Xuan, head of the restoration board, said in a report published in March 2017 that the project is expected to take three years and cost 100 billion dong (US $4,405,000). All the funds for the restoration work come from local Catholics. While the restoration is being carried out, regular services remain unchanged, but tours of the cathedral have been put on hold due to safety concerns.

The church was built on the model of Notre Dame de Paris by French missionaries between 1877 and 1880, and it has become an emblematic building of old Saigon.