The ruins of the Hai Ly Church is in Hai Ly Commune, Hai Hau District, Nam Dinh Province, 150km southeast of Hanoi.
The church once known as l'église du Cœur (the Heart) was built first in 1877. In 1917 it was redesigned by a French architect and rebuilt. The completed work was in 1927 with the chapel of 27m.
The Xuong Dien coast at Hai Ly used to have several churches but they were relocated further inland due to sea encroachment. The Hai Ly Church were relocated thrice before it was deserted. It was in 2005 that there was a destructive typhoon which swept away a fishing community and all churches near the coast here. Whatever left after the storm were the Church ruins of Hai Ly.
How to get there
From Hanoi, follow Route 1A or the new highway for Phu Ly where you turn into either the provincial route 21a, or route 9712 (which meets route 21a near Nam Dinh City) all the way to the coast.
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