1. The Phuong Dinh

Phuong Dinh means "square house", shaped like a large Vietnam tradditional village communal house, almost square in size; 21m wide, 17m deep, 25m high, has 3 floors. The lower floor is the largest, built entirely of square green stone, divided into three hearts, in each heart there is a stone collapse. The stone collapse in the middle is the largest, is a block 4.20m long, 3.20m wide, 0.30m thick, it is said to be the dragon collapse of the king of the Ho Dynasty (1400-1407) in Tay Giai citadel (Thanh Hoa). old. On the walls there are stone reliefs, carving some saints. Also worth noting the bamboo-shaped stone bars. On the outer walls of the lower floor there are reliefs depicting the story of Jesus, from the time he entered Jerusalem to the time he ascended to heaven.

Through the stone gate, guests enter the tiled yard full of horizontal and vertical tiles, the patio paved with green rulers (this measure is equal to 40cm); These stones are 40cm wide, 40cm to 120cm long, here and there are hidden shade longan. Entering the courtyard, the believer begins to feel a calm soul, ready to enter into aspiration. Guests can visit Phuong Dinh (6) first. Phuong Dinh completed in 1899, is the last work of Phero Tran Luc in the opinion of many people, is the masterpiece of the whole area. Standing in the large southern courtyard and looking at it, guests have the feeling that something is sturdy and at the same time perfect in terms of architectural art.

2.The Main Cathedral

From the central courtyard looking up to the North, guests can see the facade of the Cathedral (Cathedral). Standing in front of Phuong Dinh, guests have the feeling of standing in front of something massive and majestic, and in front of this facade, guests can admire something that is both beautiful, sophisticated, and elegant at the same time. The Cathedral had been erected in 1891 in just three months, but the preparatory work of procuring materials and pedicure had lasted for ten years before that.

In terms of materials, wood is taken from Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Son Tay, stone is taken from Thien Duong mountain, 30km from Phat Diem, more precious stones are taken from Nhoi mountain near Thanh Hoa province, 60km away. There are trees weighing up to 7 tons, stones weighing up to 20 tons that were transported by primitive means back then. As for the foundation, it should be remembered that in the past Phat Diem was the sea that was alluvial soil, so Phero Tran Luc had to drive down millions of bamboo poles and pour down a lot of rock to lay the solid foundation of the Church until now

From the outside of the Cathedral, it takes a while to see clearly, because the inside is much darker than the outside, in the style of a traditional pagoda, creating a quiet atmosphere convenient for prayer recovery.

The first thing that catches the eye is the two large rows of columns in the middle leading to the carved wooden panels at the back of the altar, gilded linen. The church is divided into nine compartments with six rows of ironwood columns, a total of 52 columns with 4 roofs. 16 pillars in the middle of the circumference of 2.60m, 11m high, 7 tons in weight, inside these columns are engraved Latin words: "Pax Domini" ("Peace of God"), while the columns are in the two sides. The bottom row reads: “Ave Maria, Joseph” (“Hail Mary, Joseph”).

Wood carving in the rafters of the lower compartments has stronger lines, in the upper compartments it is more sophisticated. In the last stall in front of the Holy Palace, on the upper luong (highest beam) there is a Chinese inscription: "Thanh Thai three years, five moons, ten seven days, establishing the upper luong pillar" with the number "1891". Thus, the date of erecting the roof of the Cathedral is May 17, the third Thanh Thai era, that is, June 23, 1891.

The Holy Palace is two steps higher than the heart of the Church and consists of two compartments, but there is no column in the middle, so the crossbar (supporting beam) is very large. On both sides of the Holy Palace are large stone bars with beautiful carvings. These bars support 14 reliefs of the Way of the Cross, 7 in the west and 7 in the east. The floor of the Basilica is tiled with flowers, with the graves of six Bishops who served in Phat Diem diocese: French Monsignor Alexandre Marcou (3rd grave from the left), first Bishop of the diocese (1902), over life 1939; Bishop John B. Nguyen Ba Tong (4th grave), native of Saigon, first Vietnamese Bishop, died 1949; Bishop John M. Phan Dinh Phung (2nd tomb), Kien Thai hometown (Phat Diem), died 1944; Bishop Joseph Le Quy Thanh (6th grave), Ha Nam hometown, died 1974; Bishop Joseph Nguyen Thien Khuyen (5th grave), from Thanh Hoa, died 1981; Bishop Paul Bui Chu Tao (1st grave), from Tam Chau, Phat Diem, passed away in 2001.

In the middle of the Holy Palace is an altar made of a stone slab 3m long, 0.90m wide, 0.20m thick placed on two stone pillars carved in the shape of a bamboo tree like in Phuong Dinh. This altar was just placed in October 1990 on the occasion of the opening of the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Cathedral. The old altar at the back is a stone block 3m long, 0.90m wide, 0.97m high, three sides carved with flowers and leaves. Two smaller side altars, also carved in stone, dedicated to the Heart of God (on the left) and Our Lady of Sorrows (on the right).

The entire wall behind the altar is wood, delicately carved, painted with gold paint. In the center is the throne of Our Lady holding the Son, flanked by frames of saints. Above are seven glass doors depicting six Martyrs standing on either side of Jesus as King.

From left to right: Saintess Anê De (Le Thi Thanh), from Phuc Nhac village (+1841); Saint Michael Ho Dinh Hy (+1839); Saint Peter Dumoulin-Borie Cao, Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of West Tonkin (then including Phat Diem, +1838); Saint Paul Pham Khac Khoan, Father of Phuc Nhac (+1840); Saint Nicola Bui Duc The (+1839); Saint Michael Nguyen Huy My, mayor of Vinh Tri village (+1838). At the top is a picture frame of Our Lady giving the Rosary to Saint Dominic, surrounded by 12 Angels. Admiring this large wood carving work, guests both admire the skills of the craftsmen in the past, and are surprised to find that after more than 100 years, the wooden panels carved with gold cards are still as brilliant as new.

4.The four small churches

The four small churches are independent chapels on either side of the large church:

• Church of the Heart of Jesus (1889) Northeast direction
• Saint Roco's Church (1895) Southeast
• Saint Joseph's Church (1896) Southwest direction
• Peter's Church (1896) to the northwest.

5.Three artificial caves

In the north of Phat Diem church, about 100m apart, are made of different large and small stone blocks keeping their natural appearance. There are large statues on the caves.
Birthday Mountain: Originally named Burial Mountain, built in 1875, it is also the first work built on a very large scale for the purpose of testing the settlement of newly accreted soil. Since 1954, it was renamed to Birthday Mountain or the current Bethlehem cave.
Mount Lourdes: originally named Garden of Gethsemane (transliterated from Gethsemane), built in 1896, renamed Lourdes cave in 1925.
Skull Mountain: built in 1898, originally the cave of Bethlehem. In 1957, the statue of the crucified Lord was placed, hence the name "So" mountain.