Hanoi's resplendent St. Joseph's Cathedral is ready to host its most important, sacred celebration – the Midnight Mass – welcoming the birth of Jesus Christ. 

The cathedral on Nha Chung Street in downtown Hoan Kiem District is one of the oldest churches in the capital city and a popular tourist attraction.

Its construction commenced in the late 1800s, the French colonial time. It adopted a Gothic Revival style to emulate the Notre Dame de Paris. Named after the patron saint of Indochina, it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. It gets thoroughly spruced up and decorated before every Christmas celebration.

The nativity scene in a manger built in real life dimensions.  

One of the two Christmas trees in the alter area, on the chancel.

Five large Advent candles stand next to the nativity scene. Each of the four shorter candles represents a Sunday that precedes Christmas whilst the tallest candle in the middle is lit on Christmas Day to celebrate Jesus’s birth.

The church choir rehearses carols and hymns for Christmas Eve.

Catholics pray at the altar ahead of the holiday.

In front of the cathedral, lit wreaths surround the metal fence that guards the statue of Mary, mother of Jesus.

A 25-meter tall Christmas Tree outside the church glitters at every night.

All the trees in the quad surrounding the cathedral are decorated with star-shaped lanterns and light strings. 

The cathedral draws thousands of visitors, locals and foreigners during the Christmas season.