It is located in Phu Son, Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh. It is far away from Phat Diem stone cathedral about 65 km, 35 km from Ninh Binh city and 100 km from Hanoi. According to the abbey’s records, this austere religious cathedral was built in 1939 and completed in 1945 without any modern machinery or means, including the cement pillars.

Striking and imposing, firm yet charming, the structure was designed in the Gothic architectural style, mainly with the material of unplastered red bricks to engender in it a distinct beauty, absolute simplicity, trueness to life and uttermost warmth. The efforts and refined talents of several dozen priests and local artists who baked the bricks and did the construction themselves still remain steadfast before the tribulations of time. The unbaked brick walls that mainly compose the structure are 0.6m thick with pillars 1.2m thick in some places, thus creating sturdiness as well as warmth in winter and coolness in summer. 

In normal day, tourists rarely can go inside Chau Son monastery but if you are lucky, you still can come in but you shouldn’t make a noise in a sanctuary.

Source: vietnamecotravel.com