1. Where Is The Saigon Central Post Office?
Saigon Central Post Office is located at 2 Cong Truong Cong Xa Paris, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is about 500 m northwest of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and about 7.5 km southwest of Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
This is one of the busiest areas in Saigon, including historical and cultural sites, shopping centers and famous restaurants. You can combine a visit to Saigon Central Post Office with other famous tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh City.
2. How Is The Saigon Central Post Office Unique?
Saigon Central Post Office, also famous as Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office, was built by the French from 1886 to 1891. Up to now, the architecture of Saigon Central Post Office still retains its original unique features. This more than a century old building was honored to be voted second in the list of 11 most beautiful post offices in the world by the American Architectural Digest magazine.
Moreover, because of its convenient location and unique architecture, Saigon Central Post Office has become a symbol of the city since its inception. This is also a Saigon tourist destination that attracts visitors to check in and learn about culture and history.
In addition, this is also one of the most famous architectural works in the city. This place has gradually become a tourist attraction that cannot be missed by visitors to Ho Chi Minh City. The building has a balanced architecture between other constructions such as Notre Dame Cathedral, City Theater, … it brings high aesthetics.
3. When Is The Best Time To Visit Saigon Central Post Office?
According to the experience of traveling to Ho Chi Minh City of previous tourists. The best time to visit the splendid city is in the dry season, from October to April of the following year. At this time, the weather in Saigon will be dry, with little rain, so you can be proactive in scheduling your trip.
It facilitates you to travel and visit famous places in Ho Chi Minh City. Such as: Saigon Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Thanh Market, Book Street, Nguyen Hue Walking Street, … Not only that, you will enjoy specialties imbued with the cultural identity of the Southern people. Such as: broken rice, noodles, grilled beef with betel leaves, Saigon pho, …
4. How To Get To Saigon Central Post Office?
Saigon Central Post Office is considered the central area of the city. Thanks to its important role during the colonial period. Due to its convenient location in the city center, traveling is also extremely easy.
If you want to get here by bus, take bus numbers: 03, 14, 15, 120, 19, 30, 93. You can also ride a motorbike, rent a motorbike, take a taxi or book a technology car to get here. And if you want to go really slowly to fully enjoy the beauty of Saigon while protecting the environment, Saigon tourist cyclo is an ideal means of transport.
5. Opening Hours And Entrance Fees Of Saigon Central Post Office
5.1 Opening hours:
- From Monday to Friday: 07:00 – 19:00.
- Saturday: 07:00 – 18:00.
- Sunday: 08:00 – 18:00.
5.2 Admission fee:
- Free.
6. History Of Saigon Central Post Office
Saigon Central Post Office was rebuilt in 1886 by the French. Before that, in 1860, after occupying Gia Dinh, to establish a communication system. The French built the Saigon Wire Office, the predecessor of the current Saigon Post Office.
The project was designed by French architect Gustave Eiffel – who is famous for designing the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. The Saigon Post Office was officially inaugurated in 1863. In 1864, the stork stamp was the first stamp to appear in Vietnam, appearing on letters from Saigon to all provinces in Vietnam and around the world.
Realizing that the scale of the post office was increasingly unable to meet the needs of the city’s people. In 1886, the post office was rebuilt according to the design of architect Auguste Vildieu and his assistant Foulhoux. In 1891, the new headquarters of the Saigon Central Post Office was officially inaugurated and exists to this day.
Through many ups and downs of history, the post office still retains its original unique and ancient architecture. In 2014, the city decided to renovate the post office. This place wears a new coat of paint. Today, the city post office is one of the favorite sightseeing and check-in spots for city residents as well as tourists from all over the world.
7. Discovering The Architectural Beauty Of Saigon Central Post Office
With its luxurious classical architecture, Saigon Central Post Office has become a favorite “photo hunting” spot for many tourists. When traveling here, you can stop by to visit, watch cultural activities and take photos.
7.1 Classic, luxurious exterior architecture
The post office has a luxurious classical European design. The building is arranged symmetrically: on both sides are 2-storey blocks, in the middle is a 3-storey block. On the facade of the building are arched windows. The whole is covered in a prominent yellow color – this is also the main color of the postal industry.
In the middle of the post office building is a large clock, below which is marked the construction and completion time of the project (1886 – 1891). The surrounding area is decorated with exquisite white reliefs, in the middle is the messenger god Hermes in Greek mythology
The windows of the building are decorated with borders, lines or motifs with a balanced layout. Next to the reliefs are rectangular stone slabs in the middle. Each slab is engraved with the name of a scientist who has made great contributions to the field of electricity and telegraphy.
7.2 Impressive and cozy interior architecture
The space inside the Saigon Central Post Office building has an architectural style influenced by Western European church architecture. The ceiling of the lobby has an arched shape supported by four iron pillars located at the four corners.
On the two sides of the entrance are two large historical maps. In the middle of the post office lobby is an image of the great President Ho Chi Minh. They decorated the entrance with straight rows of green iron pillars and neatly arranged wooden chairs. This arrangement makes people feel like they are waiting for trains.
The beautiful dome design and the delicately arranged lighting system have created a spacious, airy and cozy space for the building. Currently, the post office still has public telephone booths located on both sides of the main hall to serve the needs of residents and tourists.
7.3 Many “fancy” check-in corners for virtual life enthusiasts
Saigon Central Post Office is one of the famous beautiful photo spots in Saigon. This is a place for wedding photography and hunting for beautiful photos for many virtual life enthusiasts. The city post office is one of the beautiful architectural works with prominent yellow walls and delicately designed blue windows.
When you come here, you just need to stand in front of the building, raise your camera and you will have countless beautiful photos. The space inside with the waiting area, phone booths, maps, … are all fancy virtual check-in corners, making for beautiful photos.
7.4 Places where attractive cultural events and activities take place
In addition to the unique architecture and cultural and historical elements that attract tourists, Saigon Central Post Office is also the place where many outstanding cultural activities of Ho Chi Minh City take place.
There are often exhibitions, roadshows, arts, etc. held in the area in front of and inside the post office. These activities often attract a large number of people and tourists to come and learn.
8. Specialties When Visiting Saigon Central Post Office
After visiting the city’s Central Post Office, visitors can enjoy Saigon specialties in the surrounding area such as:
- Enjoy Notre Dame Cathedral coffee: This is an interesting cultural feature of Saigon. Order a cup of cool coffee, sit on a small chair or stone platform on the sidewalk with friends to enjoy the breeze, and chat is definitely an unforgettable experience when coming to Saigon.
- Try Saigon specialties: Around the City Post Office, there are many attractive Saigon snacks such as Saigon mixed rice paper, Saigon broken rice, banh xeo, crab soup, etc. These are popular dishes that many tourists choose to enjoy when traveling to explore Saigon.
9. Accommodation When Visiting The Saigon Central Post Office
When traveling here, you can refer to some of the following accommodations:
- Park Hyatt Saigon. Address: 02 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Rex Saigon Hotel. Address: 141 Nguyen Hue, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Au Lac Legend Hotel. Address: 90 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Hotel Continental Saigon. Address: 134 Dong Khoi Street, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers. Address: 88 Dong Khoi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Caravelle Saigon Hotel. Address: 19-23 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Pullman Saigon Centre. Address: 148 Tran Hung Dao Boulevard, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
10. Some Other Famous Attractions Near Saigon Central Post Office
Near the Saigon Central Post Office, there are many famous tourist attractions in the city. To save time and travel costs, you can combine visiting the post office with the following places:
- Notre Dame Cathedral: Where you can freely admire the beautiful ancient architecture and take many beautiful pictures. This spiritual tourist destination is always at the top of the most attractive destinations in the city.
- Ben Thanh Market: An attractive sightseeing and shopping destination that cannot be missed when coming to Saigon. When coming here, you can find many unique souvenirs and enjoy countless delicious dishes.
- Independence Palace: When coming to this important historical relic of the city, you will admire the unique architecture. As well as learn about culture, history and check in many beautiful pictures.
- City Theater: This place is considered the “artistic cradle” of Saigon. The theater is where large-scale art performances take place. It attracts a large number of tourists to enjoy art.
- Nguyen Hue Walking Street: When coming to the walking street, you can watch attractive street art activities, participate in outdoor activities. And you can also enjoy many specialties at restaurants and roadside eateries.
- Bui Vien Western Street: Bui Vien Western Street is home to many bars and restaurants that attract many tourists. This is where visitors can watch special music performances, participate in fun games, chill with music in cafes, … As well as enjoy cold beers and sip specialties of this land.
11. Some Important Notes When Visiting Saigon Central Post Office
When visiting the city’s Central Post Office, visitors need to keep in mind the following important notes:
- Make a specific plan for the trip, choose the right time to go. On weekends and holidays, the number of visitors here is very high. Therefore, you need to have a specific plan to avoid long waiting times.
- If you come to check in, you should choose to go during the week, when there are fewer people, to easily hunt for beautiful pictures.
- Saigon Central Post Office is a historical and highly educational building. Therefore, when you come here, you should choose elegant clothes. Avoid wearing clothes that are too short or too revealing.
When visiting Saigon Central Post Office, it will surely surprise you with an ancient, nostalgic architectural work that exists in the heart of a bustling, splendid city. Join with Origin Vietnam – a professional tour operator, we will accompany you on the Saigon tour so you can visit and check in this unique architectural work with unforgettable memories.
Photos source: Internet
