Đồng Khởi Street (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: ''Đường Đồng Khởi''), formerly known as Rue Catinat and Tự Do Street, is a street in District 1,

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

History

The street was originally named after the French Warship Catinat that participated in the mid-19th century attacks by France when that country was intent on seizing control of Viet Nam. The ship itself honored

Nicolas Catinat Nicolas Catinat (, 1 September 1637 – 22 February 1712) was a French military commander and Marshal of France under Louis XIV. The son of a magistrate, Catinat was born in Paris on 1 September 1637. He entered the Gardes Françaises at an ...

, a 17th and 18th century Marshal of France; but application of name to prominent street was intended to remind strollers of the first step toward control of a vanquished nation by a colonial power Before its present incarnation as Đồng Khởi visitors to Saigon will remember Tự Do Street, as it was called by the Vietnamese after the French departed. Đường Đồng Khởi is the location of a number of famous colonial buildings: * Hotel Continental, the old foreign journalists' hang-out. Restored somewhat earlier than the other hotels, it has a more Vietnamese feel and is cheaper. The outdoor bar is gone, but the lobby one is furnished in rattan. * Hotel Majestic, located where the street meets the

Saigon River The Saigon River ( vi, Sông Sài Gòn) is a river located in southern Vietnam that rises near Phum Daung in southeastern Cambodia, flows south and south-southeast for about and empties into the Soài Rạp, which in its turn empties into th ...

. Built in 1925, with a central courtyard and a roof bar. French restoration, French prices. *

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

, on the next corner in from the Majestic. A very French restoration—cream stucco and white marble dark mahogany, liveried attendants. The original building, the home of Fowler and Phuong in ''

The Quiet American ''The Quiet American'' is a 1955 novel by English author Graham Greene. Narrated in the first person by journalist Thomas Fowler, the novel depicts the breakdown of French colonialism in Vietnam and early American involvement in the Vietnam W ...

'' may be seen among the photos in Norman Sherry's biography of the author. * Palais Cafe, a bar, also renovated.http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/graham_greenes_vietnam.aspx

History

Notes and references

See also