The Ho Chi Minh City Post Office, or the Saigon Central Post Office ( vi, Bưu điện Trung tâm Sài Gòn, french: Poste centrale de Saïgon), is a post office in the downtown
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_ ...
, near
Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon ( vi, Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Bà Sài Gòn or ; french: Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saïgon), officially Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception ( vi, V ...
, the city's cathedral. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
in the late 19th century. It counts with
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
,
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
and French influences. It was constructed between 1886 and 1891 and is now a tourist attraction.
It was designed by Alfred Foulhoux, but is often erroneously credited as being the work of
Gustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...
or a collaboration between Foulhoux and
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
-based
Auguste Henri Vildieu. As translated by the historian Tim Doling, the journal ''Architecte constructeur: Revue du monde architectural et artistique'' of 15 September 1891 commented: “The inauguration the new Saigon Post Office, which was held on July 14, had been postponed until the return of the Governor General. This monument, adorned with a most artistic façade, is particularly well laid out and well equipped for the different services to which it is intended; it does the greatest honour to the skill and talent of the distinguished Chief Architect of the Colony, M. Foulhoux.”
Inside the Saigon Central Post office of special note are two painted maps that were created just after the post office was built, the first one located on the left side of the building is a map of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia titled ''Lignes telegraphiques du Sud Vietnam et Cambodge 1892'' ("Telegraphic lines of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia 1892"). The second map of greater Saigon is titled ''Saigon et ses environs 1892'' ("Saigon and its surroundings 1892").
, known for being the last public letter writer in Vietnam, worked at the office from 1990 to 2021.
Gallery
References
Web Site
Ho Chi Minh Post Office
Buildings and structures in Ho Chi Minh City
Post office buildings
Clock towers
French colonial architecture in Vietnam
Tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City
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