Central Post Office, Saigon/HoChiMinh City (must see)
The Central Post Office is an elegant colonial-style building in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. It has a Gothic architectural style and was designed by the world famous French architect, Gustave Eiffel. Constructed between 1886 and 1891, it resembles a European railway station. It was and is a working post office where visitors can send postcards and purchase stamps.
The Central Post Office building is the biggest post office structure in Vietnam. There are ornately wrought iron gates in the main entrance. The central hall has a large clock and two similar extensions on both sides covered by a large skylight. The arched windows have decorated capstones and green shutters that are a typical feature of French colonial buildings. The interior of the main chamber has two large maps of Vietnam and Saigon that date back to the 18th century. At the far end of the chamber hangs a giant portrait of the Vietnamese revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh. Besides postal mail services, the post office offers public phone and fax facilities. The specialty stamp counter sells some unusual philately sets.
Why You Should Visit:
You really feel transported back in time here, plus it's a great opportunity to send a postcard to your family back home and show them what we did before e-mail!
Tip:
Souvenir shop prices are steep, but there's a sweet spot by the entrance for air conditioning/breeze. The building is particularly beautiful when lit up at night.
The Central Post Office building is the biggest post office structure in Vietnam. There are ornately wrought iron gates in the main entrance. The central hall has a large clock and two similar extensions on both sides covered by a large skylight. The arched windows have decorated capstones and green shutters that are a typical feature of French colonial buildings. The interior of the main chamber has two large maps of Vietnam and Saigon that date back to the 18th century. At the far end of the chamber hangs a giant portrait of the Vietnamese revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh. Besides postal mail services, the post office offers public phone and fax facilities. The specialty stamp counter sells some unusual philately sets.
Why You Should Visit:
You really feel transported back in time here, plus it's a great opportunity to send a postcard to your family back home and show them what we did before e-mail!
Tip:
Souvenir shop prices are steep, but there's a sweet spot by the entrance for air conditioning/breeze. The building is particularly beautiful when lit up at night.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Central Post Office on Map
Sight Name: Central Post Office
Sight Location: Saigon/HoChiMinh City, Vietnam (See walking tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Saigon/HoChiMinh City, Vietnam (See walking tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Saigon/HoChiMinh City, Vietnam
Create Your Own Walk in Saigon/HoChiMinh City
Creating your own self-guided walk in Saigon/HoChiMinh City is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Chinatown Walking Tour
The relationship between Vietnam and China traces back over 2,000 years. Over this time, Vietnamese culture, customs, administrative system, and even the language have been heavily influenced by the great northern neighbor. So much so, in fact, that although Vietnam had its own spoken language, until the late 1800s its official written language was Chinese.
Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City,... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City,... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Shopping Tour
Among other accolades, Ho Chi Minh City is known as a great shopping destination. Attesting to its reputation are a plethora of street markets scattered throughout the city, selling all sorts of fresh local produce, including coffee beans, and other delights, not to mention street food and souvenirs 鈥� all at extremely competitive prices. There are also designated markets specialized in niche... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Historical Religious Sites
For centuries, Vietnamese people have practiced Confucianism and Buddhism brought over from neighboring China. Added to these Eastern teachings, in the 16th century, was Christianity 鈥� introduced to Vietnam by Western missionaries. The result of this variety of faiths has become a mixture of gorgeous Confucian and Buddhist temples and Catholic churches in Ho Chi Minh City. Some of these... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Saigon/HoChiMinh City Introduction Walking Tour
While many still refer to the city as Saigon, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in 1976 after the reunification of North and South Vietnam. The name honors the first leader of communist North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. But many still call the inner business district Saigon, while the larger metropolitan area is known as HCMC.
For most of its early history, this was a scarcely populated area... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles
For most of its early history, this was a scarcely populated area... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles