Saigon cathedral renovation extended by four years to 2027

Renovations to the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon will last until 2027 instead of 2023 as originally planned, the HCMC culture department said Thursday.

Lam Ngo Hoang Anh, office head of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sport, said the prolonged break enforced by Covid-19 and the fact that some materials have to be imported from abroad have caused the extended delay.

The renovation project, costing over VND140 billion ($5.98 million), began in 2017 and was expected to be completed in 2023.

The fences built around the cathedral would only be removed after renovations are completed in 2027, Anh said.

The cathedral was built in 1877 by the French colonialists. Its structure had severely degraded over more than a century and the Archdiocese of HCMC had requested its renovation.

By Thu Hang – VnExpress.net – August 4, 2022