# SAIGON - Paris of the Orient



## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

My last trip to Ho Chi Minh City was last summer. Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon is the largest city of Vietnam containing ~7,5 million inhabitants. Vietnam was once a French colony and the French influence is still visible in Saigon; architecture, cuisine and fashion. In this thread I'll show you some nice captures of a few landmarks in this metropolis. I'm not a really good photographer, but I hope you will enjoy it. 









*Location of Saigon within Vietnam*


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

This capture was taken near the Ben Thanh Market. The location where I took this shot is the real centre of Saigon. The majority of traffic in Saigon consists of motor bikes and taxis.
From left to right you can see:
* Saigon Centre (black one), 106 m
* Sunwah Tower (the smallest, blue one), 92 m
* Saigon Times Square (the greenish one), 165 m
* Bitexco Financial Tower (the tallest one), 265.5 m
* VCB Havana Tower (with all those windows)

Centre by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

The following picture shows us the Notre-Dame Basilica, the grand cathedral of Saigon (height 58 m). It was constructed in the 19th century by the French colonists. The original building materials were imported from France. Nowadays the cathedral is a real Saigonese landmark.

Basilica by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

This is the entrance of the Municipal Theatre of Saigon, also known as the Opera House. It is a masterpiece of French Colonial architecture shaped like the Petit Palais in Paris. It was designed by Felix Olivier and built in 1897. The opera house contains 800 seats. 









Facade by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

This is a shot taken at the People's Committee towards the Tax Mall. Also the Saigon Times Square (left), the Sunwah Tower and the Bitexco Financial Tower (right) are visible. 
The Tourist by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

The Nguyen Hue Boulevard seen from the entrance of the Sunwah Tower. This is one of the most important financial streets in Vietnam where many office buildings are situated. During Tet (Vietnamese New Year) the boulevard is fully crowded with colourful flowers and trees. The blue building in this shot is the Vincom Center, an important modern shopping mall which houses famous marks like Versace.

UpTown by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

The following capture features the Metropolitan Towers-complex which is situated near the cathedral. The building houses inter alia HSBC. It's height is 69 m and was completed in 1998. This postmodern complex was designed by Design International (Canada).
Metropole by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Another picture of the Nguyen Hue Boulevard. The Saigon Times Square is visible at left and the VTP Office Service Center at right. The VTP Office Service Center is the headquarter of the Van Thinh Phat Limited Liability Company which is specialized in trading and hospitality services, like opening hotels (i.a. the Windsor Plaza Hotel), apartments and restaurants.
Downtown by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## viet_dt (Oct 11, 2008)

I love the tagline 'Paris of the Orient'.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

nice thread on Saigon...thanks for sharing your pics.:cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed very nice photos; please post more (if you have)


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Yeah, I will.


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

The Fideco Tower (the building with the Korea Life Insurance sign) is an office building located in District 1, owned by the Fideco Land company. It is situated at the very strategic corner of the Pasteur Street and the Ham Nghi street. The office building counts 20 floors. The Fideco Tower was completed in May 2008. The building under construction (left) is called the Saigon One Tower or also known as the Saigon M&C. At the moment it is the second tallest building of the southern part of the country with a height of 195.3 m. The highrise is invested by Bouygues Batiment International and is located right at the bank of the Saigon River. It will serve as a mixed-use building, including offices, residences and a galleria. Construction started in 2007 and it is nearly completed (cladding is nearly finished), but recently it was announced that the building was On-Hold. I hope the project will resume soon, because it will grace the city with its beauty.  
Fideco by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

In this shot you can see the Bitexco Financial Tower and the State Treasury Annex, BFT located at the Ham Nghi street and the State Treasury Annex at the Nguyen Hue Boulevard. I will zoom in the information of the Bitexco Financial Tower soon. The State Treasury Annex is a modern office building which is used by the government. It counts 12 floors and its height is 51.8 m. The highrise was finished in 2006. 

Glass Gloss by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

It's time for a great introduction about the Saigon Times Square, a highrise building with a height of 165 m owned by the Times Square Investment Joint Stock Company. It counts 40 floors and is one of the newest/greatest additions to the skyline of Saigon and located at the frontage of the Dong Khoi and the Nguyen Hue streets. It has become a new cosmopolitan landmark. The tower features a hotel, appartments, offices, spa, convention centre, luxury shopping and entertainment facilities. During night the tower shines like a jewel with a great variety of lightning schemes; the illumination of the Saigon Times Square is gorgeous. 
Beneath you can see some motorbikes and a taxi of the Mai Linh Group, one of the most dominating taxi companies in Saigon.
Times Square by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## haikiller11 (Aug 11, 2009)

viet_dt said:


> I love the tagline 'Paris of the Orient'.


It is the only city in the orient that has a Paris street layout, thanks to the French :lol:.


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

People's Committee or Hôtel de Ville, built in 1902-1908 in French colonial style.

City Hall by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Saigon Central Post Office, near the Notre-Dame Basilica. Built in Gothic architectural style, designed and constructed by Gustave Eiffel.

Post. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Saigon Times Square, Me Linh Point Tower (brown building with VIB Sign) and VTP Office Service Center.
DownTown. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr
VTP Office Service Center

StreetView. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr

Black Car. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Bitexco Financial Tower sign.

BFT by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Sunwah Tower (1995), 92 m, 21 floors. Location: Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
Sunwah. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Denjiro said:


> Saigon Central Post Office, near the Notre-Dame Basilica. Built in Gothic architectural style, designed and constructed by Gustave Eiffel.
> 
> Post. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


 Gothic style, how is this gothic? :uh:

Looks like classical palazzi style with perhaps a regional reference in the somewhat accentuated antefix on the top level of the central 'triumphant gate' section of the building, which have a pagoda-like semblance, along with the lantern-like bas relief ornamentation on the ground floor facade (although they also come across as post boxes on closer inspection). Form and style, as well as ornamentation as a whole, is renaissance classical with eclectic detailing.


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm not a professional in architecture.


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Another Saigon Times Square..

Times. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

VCB Havana Tower, 18 floors - 20 levels.

Havana Building. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Suoi Tien Amusement Park, District 9. Includes many entertainment areas (swimming paradise, zoo, rollercoasters and a ferris wheel), these pictures show the Fruit Festival (a pride of cars decorated with tropical fruit and exotic flowers).
g
Fairies. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr

Fruit Festival. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

magnifiques photos


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Merci.


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

*I will continue soon.*


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

The Times. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

thanks for the great photos Denjiro, can't wait for more. :cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice new photos from Saigon


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## Dancer (May 31, 2005)

Looking forward to seeing this beautiful city someday. Nice photography.


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

^^ Thank you. 

BITEXCO HIGHLIGHTS by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

This is the Palace Hotel, located right on the Nguyen Hue Boulevard in District 1. When it was built in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, this was Saigon’s tallest building. These days it’s a quaint relic of those days with recently renovated rooms and an excellent central location within the vibrant city. Be warned - the lead in rooms should be avoided. There's still plenty about the Palace Hotel that's reminiscent of its many years in the hands of the local communist government. It’s been tarted up a few times but you’ll still find traces of Eastern bloc service style during a stay. The blue building above the clock in this shot is the Vincom Center, a huge shopping mall. The buildings in the far left are being called the Metropolitan Towers.

Palace Hotel. by Denjiro-San, on Flickr


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## MilbertDavid (Nov 23, 2012)

the city is geting nicier with those modern glassy buildings and the heritage structures are well maintained too.


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## fieldsofdreams (Sep 21, 2012)

First time viewing your collection around Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), and I must say that Vietnam's largest city is indeed progressing very quickly, as evidenced by the Bitexco Highlights image you've shared here with that glassy modern-looking tower dominating over the city skyline, as well as The Times building image. Those truly show that Vietnam's economy (I was from Manila, by the way) is growing rapidly that it really shows its economic prowess. I am very pleased to see that while modern skyscrapers now dominate the city, traces of your country's colonial past and heritage still exist and provide a lot of clues in terms of Saigon's existence as a major city close to South China Sea, and I am particularly amazed by the amount of detail you provide to the structures you've showcased here.

Excellent work, my friend! I'll keep coming back for more! :hug:


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

fieldsofdreams said:


> First time viewing your collection around Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), and I must say that Vietnam's largest city is indeed progressing very quickly, as evidenced by the Bitexco Highlights image you've shared here with that glassy modern-looking tower dominating over the city skyline, as well as The Times building image. Those truly show that Vietnam's economy (I was from Manila, by the way) is growing rapidly that it really shows its economic prowess. I am very pleased to see that while modern skyscrapers now dominate the city, traces of your country's colonial past and heritage still exist and provide a lot of clues in terms of Saigon's existence as a major city close to South China Sea, and I am particularly amazed by the amount of detail you provide to the structures you've showcased here.
> 
> Excellent work, my friend! I'll keep coming back for more! :hug:


Thank you so much for your appreciation, as I'm just 14 years old. :apple:


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