The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts is a bright, yellow colonial-era mansion that stands out for its fusion of French and Chinese architectural styles. Designed by the French architect Rivera and built between nineteen twenty-nine and…
French Colonial Landmarks
This walk takes you through the architectural legacy of French rule in the heart of Saigon. You will visit the city's grandest colonial-era landmarks, from historic hotels and markets to majestic theaters and cathedrals, and see how they shaped modern downtown.
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1. Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum
2. Ben Thanh Market
Ben Thanh Market is defined by the prominent, three-faced clock tower rising above its main southern entrance. The building itself, completed in nineteen fourteen, sits at the heart of District One as a sprawling, rectangular structure…
3. Museum of Ho Chi Minh City
The Museum of Ho Chi Minh City is recognizable by its pale yellow neoclassical facade and the large, symmetrical staircase leading to its main entrance. Constructed between eighteen eighty-five and eighteen ninety, the building was…
4. Hotel Continental Saigon
The Hotel Continental Saigon is marked by its white, French colonial facade and arched windows that sit prominently at the intersection of Dong Khoi Street and Lam Son Square. Inaugurated in eighteen eighty, the building was created by…
5. Ho Chi Minh City Opera House
The Ho Chi Minh City Opera House is identifiable by its ornate, cream-colored façade, which features a pair of stone-carved caryatids at the entrance and sweeping architectural lines inspired by the Petit Palais in Paris. Designed by…
6. Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon
The Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is defined by its exterior of bright red bricks imported from Toulouse, which have remained vibrant since the structure was completed in eighteen eighty. You can recognize it by its two soaring…
7. Saigon Central Post Office
The Saigon Central Post Office displays a mustard-yellow facade, trimmed in white and green, with a large clock mounted above the arched main entrance. It was built between eighteen eighty-six and eighteen ninety-one during the period of…