via Outlook Traveller, 16 November 2021: Lots of pictures of the colonial architecture at Ho Chi Minh city.
Dong Khoi Street in Ho Chi Minh City, with its clutch of French colonial buildings and modern shopping quarters, is a pleasant road to stroll along. But this once tree-lined boulevard, then known as Rue Catinat, is a far cry from the scenic stretch that formed the backdrop to Graham Greene’s novel The Quiet American. It also puts in a nutshell the dilemma of Ho Chi Minh City – whether to retain its past architectural gems or replace them with modern buildings. Should Ho Chi Minh City lose its individuality to aspirations of being one of the modern but ubiquitous cities of Asia, is a question that is being raised by the city’s heritage lovers.
Emerging as a Khmer fishing village, Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is known today, is Vietnam’s largest city and its commercial capital. After the Treaty of Saigon (1862) between Emperor Tu Duc of Vietnam and the French, the latter acquired Saigon and three of the southern provinces along with other concessions. Within five to six years, the French occupied the whole of southern Vietnam. Like other colonial powers, they too began to build Saigon after their home country, filling it with administrative and cultural buildings that used both local and French styles.
Source: Looking Back At Ho Chi Minh City’s Colonial Architecture – Outlook Traveller
