Cam Ly Church

Also known as Son Cuoc Church, it stands on a hill near Cam Ly waterfall. It is a twentieth-century Catholic building of artistic and spiritual value, and it differs from most Catholic churches: there is no cross on its roof, and it is built entirely of stone and wood in the manner of the rong houses of the highland minority peoples.

The form is stylised, with two tall, steep roofs covered in 80,000 flat tiles. It was built by the French priest Boutary with the contractor Nguyen Thanh Ho, from the start of 1960 to early 1968. The builders kept 8,000 spare tiles so damaged ones could be replaced with originals, and set aside panes of the stained glass, brought in from abroad, in case any broke.

On the main gable, the Holy Trinity is represented by three large stars made of triangles of coloured glass. Beneath the crucified Christ are three buffalo heads, from large to small, standing for the three persons of God and also for the offerings the minority peoples make to Yang. Inside, many animal figures stand for the character of the highland communities.