Turning off the main road, visitors pass rice paddies and bamboo hedges before reaching a compound of roughly five thousand square meters, at the center of which stands a modest church painted a weathered grey-green. Its three-tiered facade features twin bell towers flanking a central rooftop cross and pointed arch openings. The building is not large, and its age shows immediately in the patina of its walls without need for introduction.
Yet what draws travelers from afar lies beyond the masonry. Preserved on these grounds is Phép giảng tám ngày (the Eight-Day Catechism), printed in Rome in 1651 as the very first printed book in Romanized Vietnamese (chữ Quốc ngữ). In other words, this rural church in the Catholic tradition safeguards a relic belonging to the entire Vietnamese language, not to Catholics alone.
IThe 1651 book and an unrecorded titular dedication
To speak of Mằng Lăng is to speak first of the book. Phép giảng tám ngày (Cathechismus in octo dies divisus) is a catechetical manual divided into eight days of instruction, compiled by Jesuit missionary Alexandre de Rhodes and printed in Rome in 1651 across 319 pages in two parallel columns, one in Latin and one in Vietnamese transcribed in the Latin alphabet. That same year and at the same press, the Vietnamese-Portuguese-Latin dictionary (Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum) also appeared. Scholars regard those two volumes as the starting point of printed Romanized Vietnamese.
Notably, the script was not the work of a single person. Transcribing Vietnamese with Latin letters had been carried out collaboratively by numerous missionaries and Vietnamese scholars over several preceding decades at mission residences such as Nước Mặn in former Bình Định, not far from Mằng Lăng. The 1651 volume marks the moment when that collective effort first took the form of a printed book.
Regarding the titular dedication of the church itself, the library states plainly that the library has not been able to verify the patronal title of Mằng Lăng Church. Available sources write at length about the 1651 book, the architecture, and Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên, yet none of the sources consulted by the library record which saint or mystery the church itself is dedicated to. A church's titular dedication belongs to the core of its liturgical identity rather than a minor detail, so the library leaves it blank and states so openly rather than guessing from a parish sodality or a statue inside the nave. Readers who need certainty should inquire directly with the parish or the chancery of Qui Nhơn Diocese.
Another point where sources diverge should also be noted. Regarding the status of the volume on site, some accounts claim the original printing is kept here while visitors view a display copy, whereas others state the original rests in Rome and the parish exhibits a photographic facsimile. Because the library has not located a formal authentication document from a specialist body, this article records only what is certain, namely that Mằng Lăng preserves and displays a copy of Phép giảng tám ngày for pilgrims and visitors to view. Similarly, although many articles refer to the church as a provincial heritage site, the library has not been able to locate the specific provincial or national ranking decision.
In terms of veneration, this church honors Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên (Anrê Phú Yên), a young catechist born around 1625 in the Mằng Lăng area and martyred on July 26, 1644, who was beatified in Rome by Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000 and named patron of Vietnamese Catholic youth and catechists. The Church in Vietnam honors him as its protomartyr, celebrating his feast annually on July 26.
Two terms deserve brief explanation for readers outside the Catholic tradition. Blessed (chân phước, beatification) is the first of two stages of canonization, whereby the Church recognizes that a person lived the faith heroically to the end and authorizes public veneration within a defined region or group. The higher stage is Saint (hiển thánh, canonization), which prescribes veneration throughout the universal Church. Andrew of Phú Yên currently holds the title of Blessed. The library records his veneration, relics, and feast day without recounting the events of his execution, as this library focuses on worship and religious heritage.
IIFifteen years building a small country church
The name preceded the building. Mằng lăng is the local name of a timber tree bearing purple blossoms, closely related to the familiar crape myrtle (bằng lăng), that once grew densely across the area. Residents named the land after the tree, and the land gave its name to the church. Inside the parish traditional room today stands a round table crafted from that very wood, about 1.7 meters in diameter and dating from the church's construction, serving as the tangible link connecting the parish's name to its botanical origin.
- 1651Publication of Phép giảng tám ngàyPrinted in Rome across 319 pages in parallel Latin and Romanized Vietnamese columns, this was the first printed book in chữ Quốc ngữ, later preserved and exhibited at Mằng Lăng.
- 1892Groundbreaking of the churchFirst parish priest Joseph de La Cassagne (known in Vietnamese as Cố Xuân, pastor from 1888 to 1900) began building the church beside the Kỳ Lộ River in a miniature Gothic style.
- 1907Completion and inaugurationFollowing Father Joseph de La Cassagne's death in 1900, his successor Father Antoine Wendling completed the structure and brought three bells cast in France through Tiên Châu port in 1905. On April 14, 1907, Bishop Damien Grangeon Mẫn presided over the inauguration and blessing of the church.
- 1924Replacement of the ceiling after a stormThe original pointed Gothic vaulted ceiling suffered storm damage and was replaced with a flat wooden ceiling, explaining why the nave today lacks the high vaulting of the initial design.
- 2000Beatification of Andrew of Phú YênOn March 5, 2000, Catechist Andrew of Phú Yên was beatified in Rome by Pope John Paul II, making Mằng Lăng a major pilgrimage stop honoring his memory.
- Circa 2006 to 2008Memorial hill and underground exhibition grottoFollowing the beatification and the centenary of the church's inauguration, an artificial mound housing an underground exhibition grotto was built on the grounds, depicting the Blessed's faith journey in bas-relief panels and displaying the early Quốc ngữ book.
A clarification regarding administrative boundaries is helpful to avoid confusion. The church sits in former An Thạch commune, now Tuy An Đông commune, Đắk Lắk province following the 2025 provincial merger of former Phú Yên. Ecclesiastically, however, the parish remains part of Qui Nhơn Diocese, since diocesan boundaries do not change with civil boundaries. Qui Nhơn Diocese originated as the Vicariate Apostolic of Cochinchina erected on September 9, 1659 (renamed Eastern Cochinchina in 1844) and took the name Qui Nhơn on December 3, 1924, currently pastoring 56 parishes and 8 independent mission stations with roughly 73,212 faithful across the three former provinces of Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, and Phú Yên.
Regarding the building's age, sources agree on the 1892 groundbreaking under Father Joseph de La Cassagne and the April 14, 1907 inauguration under Father Antoine Wendling. Articles that describe the church as over one hundred and thirty years old reckon from the start of construction rather than its completion, which accounts for the fifteen-year difference seen across various descriptions.
IIIMiniature Gothic, molasses mortar, and lotus-bud motifs
Mằng Lăng is a miniature Gothic church. Its facade rises in three vertical tiers, flanked by twin bell towers with a cross at the center. Doors and windows follow pointed arches, while two interior colonnades support successive arched bays. Because its dimensions remain modest in keeping with a rural parish, what leaves an impression here is proportion rather than scale, as a European church form is scaled down to fit a Vietnamese countryside setting.
Symmetrically arranged along the central axis with two bell towers on the sides and a cross in the middle. The grey-green painted walls have faded through decades of sun and rain, giving the church its unmistakable patina.
The masonry walls were laid using traditional mortar mixed from cane molasses, lime, and sand, a time-tested technique of Vietnamese builders before Portland cement. This technical detail shows that the structure was raised by local craftsmen using indigenous materials.
Decorative panels incorporate lotus-bud motifs, placing a distinctly Vietnamese image within a European architectural frame and illustrating how local woodworkers interpreted a foreign blueprint.
After the original pointed vaulting was damaged in a 1924 storm, it was replaced with a flat timber ceiling, making the nave lower and warmer than the initial design and closer in feel to a traditional wooden house.
A round table crafted from mằng lăng timber, about 1.7 meters across, preserved since the church was built and directly linking the parish's name to the tree that inspired it.
An artificial hill on the grounds contains an underground passage lined with bas-reliefs recounting the faith journey of Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên alongside the glass case displaying Phép giảng tám ngày.
A precise word on the term Gothic is in order. Structural Gothic in Europe relies on ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and exterior piers that free the walls for expanses of stained glass. At Mằng Lăng, those elements are retained as visual form, while the load is borne by thick brick walls laid in molasses mortar beneath a flat wooden ceiling. Calling the building Gothic is accurate regarding its stylistic silhouette rather than its structural engineering, a distinction that sharpens appreciation of the church without diminishing its value.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
A clear preface is needed here. Catholicism does not teach feng shui. The traditional orientation of a Catholic church follows liturgical orientation, the Church's own rule regarding the placement of the altar and sanctuary, which in its oldest form turns the sanctuary eastward toward the rising sun. That is a liturgical norm rather than a geomantic calculation. The observations below represent a reading through traditional Vietnamese geomancy offered by the library as a point of comparison for readers familiar with that tradition, not material drawn from parish records.
First is the water configuration. The church sits not far from the Kỳ Lộ River on ground slightly higher than the surrounding paddies and bamboo hedges. In traditional Vietnamese geomancy, a site embraced by a curving watercourse that flows past the front or side without rushing straight at it is described as having wrapping water (thủy bao). Classical manuals prize this configuration, and on the coastal plains of Central Vietnam it also carries a practical meaning, namely living close to fresh water while remaining above flood level.
Second is the open space in front. Within the five-thousand-square-meter compound, the level forecourt opens out toward rice fields unobstructed by dense buildings. Traditional geomancy calls this forecourt the bright hall (minh đường), prizing a bright hall that is wide, level, and open. Standing amid such an expanse, a small church appears grander than its actual measurements, a visual effect well understood by builders of old.
Third is the artificial mound housing the exhibition grotto. Raising an earthen mound within a sacred compound corresponds in traditional geomancy to the principle of earth supplementation (tài bồi), adding form where the natural terrain lacks relief. Because this alluvial plain has no nearby hill to serve as a backing, the artificial mound both shelters the exhibition grotto and unintentionally acts as a rear cushion (hậu chẩm). The library notes clearly that the parish raised the mound for exhibition purposes, while reading it in geomantic terms is the library's own observation.
Finally, orientation. Like most late 19th-century churches in this region, the axis of the building follows the shape of the plot and the approach road. When readers steeped in traditional geomancy ask which compass direction a church faces, the most accurate answer for Vietnamese churches of that era is that they align with the plot and access road within the allowance of liturgical norms, reflecting a different order of priorities than that of a geomancer.
VFeasts, customs, and pilgrims
Mằng Lăng observes the full Roman liturgical calendar calculated by the solar year, just like every other Catholic parish. Because the church's titular dedication has not been verified, the library leaves its specific patronal feast blank rather than guessing. In return, the parish has a year-round rhythm rare among rural churches, namely the steady stream of visitors coming to see a book. This section lists only calendar feast days, without daily Mass times.
| Date | Feast or observance | Description |
|---|---|---|
| July 26 | Feast of Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên | Annual feast of the catechist beatified on March 5, 2000. This is Mằng Lăng's most distinctive observance, drawing pilgrimage groups from across the diocese. |
| Paschal Triduum | Holy Week and Easter | The most solemn celebrations of the liturgical year, with dates moving annually according to the Easter cycle. |
| December 25 | Christmas | The parish's largest annual gathering, when the spacious courtyard accommodates outdoor nativity scenes and festive displays. |
| November 24 | Feast of the Vietnamese Martyrs | Commemoration of the martyrs canonized in 1988, a major solemnity across the Church in Vietnam. |
| May and October | Month of Flowers and Month of the Rosary | Two Marian months marked by floral offerings and Rosary devotions, practiced across parishes of Qui Nhơn Diocese. |
| Year-round | Pilgrims and visitors viewing the book | Visitors arrive steadily throughout the year, most coming specifically to see Phép giảng tám ngày and the memorial grotto rather than on a single feast day. |
One observation about visitors stands out. Mằng Lăng welcomes two distinct streams of guests, namely pilgrims coming out of religious devotion and visitors coming for the 1651 book, including many teachers, students, and researchers of the Vietnamese language who belong to no religion. Both groups stand side by side before the same glass display case. That convergence is rare at a house of worship and gives this country parish an unusual dual role as both a local church and a place where Vietnamese people come to look back at the early history of their everyday script.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Xã An Thạch cũ, nay là xã Tuy An Đông, tỉnh Đắk Lắk
- Getting there
- The church is located in former An Thạch commune, now Tuy An Đông commune, Đắk Lắk province, near the Kỳ Lộ River and about thirty-five kilometers north of former central Tuy Hòa city. Turning east off National Highway 1A onto the commune road leads directly to the church.
- Coordinates
- 13.3341, 109.2258
Because this is an active parish church rather than a museum, visitors should observe the customs of a house of worship by dressing modestly, removing hats indoors, walking quietly and speaking softly, and refraining from entering or photographing the sanctuary around the altar and tabernacle. If arriving during Mass, please sit quietly near the back of the nave. Inside the traditional room and underground relief grotto, please do not touch the glass cases or artifacts, turn off camera flash when photographing the book, and ask the caretaker before filming.
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?Quick Questions
What makes Mằng Lăng Church special?
It is the oldest church in the former Phú Yên region, built from 1892 to 1907, and preserves a copy of Phép giảng tám ngày printed in Rome in 1651, the first printed book in Romanized Vietnamese (chữ Quốc ngữ). Its grounds also hold a memorial complex for Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên and an underground relief grotto inside an artificial hill.
To whom is Mằng Lăng Church dedicated?
The library states candidly that the library has not been able to verify the titular dedication of this church. Published sources describe the 1651 book, the architecture, and Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên in detail without recording the church's patronal title. Rather than speculating, the library advises inquiring directly with the parish or Qui Nhơn Diocese.
What book is Phép giảng tám ngày?
It is an eight-day catechetical manual compiled by Jesuit missionary Alexandre de Rhodes and printed in Rome in 1651 across 319 pages in parallel Latin and Romanized Vietnamese columns. Together with the Vietnamese-Portuguese-Latin dictionary printed at the same press that year, it marks the first printed book in chữ Quốc ngữ.
Why is it called Mằng Lăng Church?
The name comes from the mằng lăng tree, a purple-flowering timber tree related to crape myrtle that once grew thickly across the area. The tree gave its name to the locality, which in turn gave its name to the church. Inside the parish traditional room stands a round table about 1.7 meters across made from that very wood when the church was built.
Who was Blessed Andrew of Phú Yên?
He was a young catechist born around 1625 and martyred on July 26, 1644, beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000 and honored as the protomartyr of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. His feast is celebrated annually on July 26. Beatification (Blessed) is the stage preceding canonization (Saint).