The sole mosque of North Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – The Al-Noor Masjid (Light) is the only mosque in northern Vietnam. It has been located on Hang Luoc Street for over a century.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Al-Noor Masjid (Light) is the only mosque in northern Vietnam. It has been located on Hang Luoc Street for over a century.

Little known story of the Muslim community in Hanoi

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For over 100 years, this has been the weekly destination of Vietnamese and foreign Muslims.

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Al Noor was built in 1890 by Indian Muslims who originally came to Vietnam to do business. They contributed the money needed to build the mosque so that they could meet and worship on a regular basis.

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Fairly small, at only 400m2, Al-Noor is designed in the typical Islamic style of mosques that can be seen all over the world, especially those used by Indian Muslims, featuring a dome, arched door and pointed tower. The mosque’s design is simple and airy, with large high arched doors in the main praying hall. The whole building is painted white.

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Islam is one of the world’s major religions; with over 1 billion followers. There are 79 mosques and places to worship in Vietnam and the 73,000 Muslims who currently reside in the country mainly live in the provinces of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, An Giang, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, Ninh Thuan, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Long An, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The State has also recognized the boards that represent the Muslim communities in Ninh Thuan, An Giang, Tay Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City as well as the provisional management board of the mosque at 12 Hang Luoc Street.

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Muslims pray 5 times a day and Friday is their principle day of worship. The daily prayer can take place anywhere, but if worshippers live within about 6km of the mosque, they are advised to pray at the mosque.

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The pedestal where the Imam (officiating priest) performs religious rituals on the morning of Friday. Currently, the Imam of this mosque is Mr. Mieu Abbas from Ninh Thuan Province, who is also the mosque manager.

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Apart from the rituals on Friday, the Imam also performs rites for funerals and weddings for Muslims. In picture: Koran books

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The mosque becomes crowded every Friday morning.

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Previously, Vietnamese Muslims had to use unofficial translated versions of the Koran from English. Today, Vietnamese version of the Koran is published by the Religion Publisher.

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