Like the Hotel Continental, the Caravelle Hotel acts as a book-end to the Opera House in Lam Son Square and has long been considered the residence of choice for well-heeled visitors to the city. Though it’s not as old as the Hotel Continental, having been built in 1958, it has still seen many changes in its lifetime, including the drama...

It’s worth making the short detour east along Dong Du from Dong Khoi to take a peek at the Central Mosque, a beautifully designed, delicately adorned structure that stands in stark contrast to the ugly tower of the Sheraton Hotel next door. Built in 1935, and one of a dozen mosques in the city, it gives an idea of Saigon’s...

The whole notion of a post office seems antiquated these days; I mean, who writes letters any more? All the more reason why it’s fortunate that this 19th-century building has been so well preserved, and fulfilling its original function as well. Its shuttered front is impressive enough, but stepping inside is like going through a time tunnel into the past....

“Dong Khoi’ means ‘uprising’, to commemorate the uprising of Vietnamese over would-be colonial masters in the past. Before 1975, it was known as Tu Do, meaning ‘freedom’, a name bestowed on it by President Diem in 1954 to celebrate the departure of the French. The French themselves knew it as La Rue Catinat, and even a century ago it was...

Looking over Lam Son Square and the Opera House, the Hotel Continental is one of Ho Chi Minh City’s most famous institutions. Initially a favourite haunt of the French living in the city, who would gather on its terrace each evening to discuss affairs of state, it became an important base for journalists during both the First and Second Indochina...

The magnificent domed façade of the Opera House sits at right angles to Dong Khoi, facing down the broad boulevard of Le Loi. It was built in 1897 by Eugene Ferret and is a classic example of French Colonial architecture, in imitation of the Petit Palais in Paris. Similar to the Hotel de Ville round the corner, it is elaborately...

For decades  this cathedral, with its imposing facade gazing straight down Dong Khoi, has been one of Ho Chi Minh City’s best-known and best-loved icons. These days it’s not such a prominent landmark, as it is gradually being dwarfed by nearby shopping malls like Diamond Plaza and office buildings. The building itself testifies to the success of Christian missionaries in...

Located on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower, the Saigon Skydeck is the place to go to observe the rapid transformation of this historic city. Opened in 2010, the Bitexco Tower quickly became Saigon’s chic new icon. Its tapered design, supposedly imitating the shape of a lotus, boasts a helipad that protrudes from near the building’s summit, and...