According facile synthesis, we synthesized gold nanomaterials inside hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (H-MSNP) for chemo- and photothermal therapy applications. To achieve targeting of the H-MSNPs, dopamine (PDA) was coated on the surface and was subsequently conjugated with Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-folic acid (FA). The dispersed synthesis of gold particles inside the silica spheres was confirmed by TEM/EDS analysis, while the coating was confirmed through FT-IR and UV-vis spectroscopy analysis. We also demonstrated the targeting of the H-MSNP@Au/PDA/PEG-FA nanoparticles towards folate receptor overexpressing tumors. Furthermore, the apoptosis of tumors using near-infrared (NIR) irradiation and anti-cancer drugs was observed. We hypothesize that the dopamine will enhance the photothermal effect, preventing undesired leaking of the anti-cancer drugs from the nanoparticles. Therefore, our nanoparticle could be a useful as a potential synergistic drug for chemo-photothermal therapy applications.