According to the Bishop, the monastery was built and developed from the Monastery of Thanh Mau Phuoc Son. Vietnamese Bishop John Baotixita Nguyen Ba Tong asked the superior of Thanh Mau Monastery of Phuoc Son in Quang Tri province to send a group of monks to the North to establish a religious order in Phat Diem diocese “to be like a spiritual lightning rod.” , together with the convent, defended the diocese with prayer and mortification”. On September 8, 1936, Father Superior Anselmo Le Huu Tu officially gave birth to the community of Saint Cistercian Chau Son. 

Nestled among the majestic mountains of the ancient capital, Chau Son Thanh Mau Monastery possesses the ancient Gothic architecture of Europe. The entire house in the Monastery is built with unpainted red bricks creating a classic backdrop covered with moss over the years. Surrounding the house are walls up to 0.6 m thick and supported by columns 1.2 m thick. A unique highlight of the walls is the harmonious arrangement of the windows. Although it is not a sophisticated design, it brings a strange and unique feeling. 

The monastery is surrounded by the dynamic green of many plant kinds. At the corner of Elephant Garden is a huge pond of catfish between the cathedral and house for guests going on a pilgrimage. At the end of the guest house is the dining rooms and behind the dining rooms are a pond of butterfish and a green garden. Fatima Garden with the statue of Blessed Virgin Mary was completed in 2013. Not far from the statue are four oaks and two olive trees. They are favorable by the climate here, so they grow quickly. The Blessed Virgin Mary Cave also attracts the curiosity of many tourists. Here is the tomb of the priests who live their whole life in this monastery to conserve the beauty of this place.

The holy atmosphere inside and the peaceful atmosphere outside the monastery will surely capture the heart of visitors