Ho Chi Minh City Post Office is in the top 11 most beautiful post offices in the world thanks to preserving the outstanding Western architectural style for more than 130 years.
The City Post Office building is located at 2 Cong Xa Paris, District 1, built by the French from 1886 to 1891, still retaining its original architectural features. Recently, the building was ranked second in the list of 11 most beautiful post offices in the world voted by the American Architectural Digest magazine.
The project was designed by architect Villedieu and his assistant Foulhoux, also known as the Saigon Wire Office, to establish a communications system, located in the city center. The post office has a Western style combined with Eastern features.
The building is arranged symmetrically with two two-storey side blocks and a three-storey middle block, covered with a tiled sloping roof. On the facade of the building are exquisitely designed arched windows. The overall building has a yellow tone, repainted in 2015, which is the original color of the building and the color of the postal industry.
In the center of the post office is a large clock, with the date of its construction written below. Around it are elaborate white reliefs, depicting people wearing laurel wreaths.
The doors are decorated with borders, lines or horizontal patterns in a symmetrical layout. The reliefs embrace the rectangular stone slabs. Each slab bears the name of a scientist who has made great contributions to human civilization in the fields of electricity and telegraphy.
The interior of the post office is designed with influences from the architectural style of Western European churches. The large arched ceiling of the lobby is supported by four iron pillars at the four corners.
On both sides inside the entrance are painted two large historical maps titled "Saigon et ses environs 1892" (Saigon and its environs, 1892) and "Telegraphic lines of South Vietnam and Cambodia 1936".
The arched structure appears densely in the motifs. The dome design and meticulously calculated lighting system have created a spacious and airy space for the building.
The antique chandeliers decorating the ceiling create an antique look for the century-old building.
Besides European culture, the architecture of Ho Chi Minh City Post Office also has a blend of Asian features, expressed through decorative motifs on the roof inspired by Khmer temple art. Photo: Huu Khoa
Public telephone booths are located on both sides of the main hall to serve residents and visitors. Today, the post office is still functioning properly, serving the mail needs of the people.
In addition to its postal function, the post office is a famous tourist destination in the city, often crowded with tourists. Currently, part of the main lobby space is used to sell souvenirs for tourists.
"In tours of Saigon, the City Post Office is an indispensable destination. Most visitors are delighted with the unique architecture of the building," said tour guide Nguyen Nhu Hoa.
The front yard of the post office is often crowded with tourists visiting and taking souvenir photos.
The post office (right corner) in the French architectural space in the city center, with the main axis being Notre Dame Cathedral. Around the post office are other attractions such as the Reunification Palace, 30/4 Park, and Nguyen Van Binh Book Street.
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