Mang Lang, one of the oldest churches in Vietnam, is also home to the first book written in Vietnam’s modern script.
The church rests 35 kilometres to the north of Tuy Hoa City. It’s located at An Thach Commune, Tuy An District, Phu Yen Province.
Mang Lang church was built in 1892 and covers 5,000 square metres. It has a Gothic architectural style and is richly decorated. Looking at the church from the outside, a cross is positioned in the middle of two steeples.
Mang Lang is small but has a very large yard where there are many green trees. There is a small chamber which was built inside an artificial hill. The basement is filled with sculptures telling stories about Saint Andre of Phu Yen.
Entering the basement, tourists can view relics related to the history of the church. Most notably, the first book of “Christianity in Eight Days” written in Vietnamese has been kept here protected by a glass box. It was printed in 1651 in Rome, Italy. The book was written by Alexandre de Rhodes who romanised the Vietnamese writing system.
The first book written in romanised Vietnamese
