Al-Noor Mosque (Hanoi)

Al-Noor Mosque
Thánh đường Hồi giáo Al-Noor
Al-Noor Mosque in 2013
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Branch/traditionSunnism
OwnershipHanoi Muslim Community
Location
Location12 Hàng Lược street, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi, Vietnam
Shown within Vietnam
Coordinates21°2′17″N 105°50′51″E / 21.03806°N 105.84750°E / 21.03806; 105.84750
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic architecture
Indian architecture
Specifications
Capacity200 – 300
Site area700 m2

The Al-Noor Mosque (Vietnamese: Thánh đường Hồi giáo Al-Noor) is a mosque in Hoàn Kiếm ward, Hanoi, Vietnam. It is the only mosque in Hanoi[1] and northern Vietnam.[2][3][4]

History

In the early 19th century, merchants from India and Middle Eastern countries came to northern Vietnam to trade fabrics and exchange currencies. In Hanoi, they lived in the Hang Dao area (present-day Hoàn Kiếm). To meet religious needs, in 1885, a group of Indians from Bombay (now Mumbai, India) raised money to build the Al-Noor Mosque.[1] The mosque has an area of about 700m2, officially operating in 1890. In the years 1964 – 1973, the mosque had to close due to the war. However, it was not destroyed by bombs,[5] and reopened in 1990.[3]

In the early 1990s, Hanoi had no openly active local Muslim community. The number of Muslims was insignificant, mainly diplomats and staff of the embassies of Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt. Khalid – a Malaysian working in Hanoi as a manager of Malaysia Airlines – is credited with helping to reopen the mosque.[3]

As the then–Malaysian Ambassador was a non-Muslim, and Khalid was only a businessman, he could not convince the government to reopen the Mosque. Later, thanks to the Iranian Ambassador signing an agreement, the mosque was reopened.[3]

Architecture

Al-Noor Mosque is located in the west to face Mecca, with Indian architecture through details such as domes, arches, and minarets. The main prayer hall has high and wide arched windows and the entire building is painted white.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Nguyễn Hoan (25 July 2013). "Thánh đường Hồi giáo giữa lòng Hà Nội". Dân Trí (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  2. ^ Thanh Nga; Quỳnh Nguyễn (16 March 2024). "Thánh đường Hồi giáo duy nhất ở miền Bắc trong lễ Ramadan". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Bình Minh; Lê Anh Dũng (3 August 2025). "Đến thăm Thánh đường Ánh sáng ở Hà Nội để hiểu đúng hơn về Hồi giáo". VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  4. ^ Phương Chi (10 November 2012). "Người chăm sóc thánh đường Hồi giáo tại Hà Nội". Vietnam+ (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  5. ^ Minh Ngọc (13 April 2021). "Hà Nội: Bên trong thánh đường Hồi giáo duy nhất ở miền Bắc (Phần 1): Khám phá những điều bất ngờ". Dân Việt (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 30 August 2025.