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Man rings bells of century-old Ho Chi Minh City church for nearly four decades
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Vietnam /Culture & Society

Man rings bells of century-old Ho Chi Minh City church for nearly four decades

From Thanh Niรชn · () Vietnamese

Translated from Vietnamese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • For nearly 40 years, Mr. Tho has dedicated himself to ringing the bells of the century-old Hanh Thong Tay Church in Ho Chi Minh City.
  • He meticulously maintains the sacred sound, using a combination of hands and feet to ring the heavy bells.
  • His quiet service, which began after the country's reunification, has become a familiar and comforting presence for generations of parishioners.

Amidst the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City, the resonant chime of Hanh Thong Tay Church bells has long been a familiar sound, echoing through generations. For almost four decades, Mr. Luong Van Tho, 77, has quietly dedicated himself to preserving this sacred sound, a living link to the church's over 100-year history.

In an era where many churches have adopted electronic bell systems, Mr. Tho's traditional method of manually ringing the bells stands out. He begins his day before dawn, sweeping the grounds and opening the church doors for the first service at 4 a.m. At 4 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m., he ascends the bell tower, his weathered hands gripping the worn rope, to send the chimes across the neighborhood.

Chuรดng lแป›n, kรฉo chฦฐa quen nรชn cแปฑc lแบฏm. Nhฦฐng lร m riแบฟt rแป“i thร nh quen.

โ€” ร”ng ThฦกRecalling the initial difficulty and eventual mastery of ringing the heavy bells.

Mr. Tho, who was born into a devout Catholic family deeply connected to the parish, grew up with the church bells. He doesn't recall the exact year he started, but it was shortly after the country's reunification. Initially a cyclo driver, his declining health led him to seek lighter work. The parish, recognizing his dedication, offered him the role of bell ringer.

"I just thought I could contribute a little to the church, and that made me happy," he recalled with a gentle smile when asked about his long commitment. He often uses both hands and his feet to pull the ropes for the hundreds of kilograms bells, a physically demanding task he has mastered over the years. During regular services, he rings the smallest bell, but on significant holidays, all three bells are rung in unison, filling the air with a powerful, harmonious sound.

Mแป—i lแบงn nhฦฐ thแบฟ, phแบฃi dรนng 2 tay nแบฏm 2 dรขy chuรดng, dรขy cรฒn lแบกi tรดi xแป vร o bร n chรขn ฤ‘แปƒ ฤ‘แบกp vรฌ chuรดng rแบฅt nแบทng.

โ€” ร”ng ThฦกDescribing the technique used to ring the heavy bells.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Thanh Niรชn in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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