The central post office of Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, a bustle destination in Vietnam, has warmly welcomed millions of tourists coming here for sightseeing and relaxation. Although there are many beautiful attractions in Saigon, do not miss to visit an essential historical building, the Saigon Post Office. The place has become an architectural symbol of French influence in this city.

Ho Chi Minh City Post Office is one of the typical works of the city. It carries nostalgic beauty and unique architecture, which has attracted a lot of people to send letters and take pictures.

With its convenient location right on the main street of the city, it is easy for tourists to travel to here. To visit the Post Office, visitors can choose many different means of transportation, such as cars, motorcycles, or buses.

What does the city post office look like?

The most impressive things of the Central Post Office are the roofs decorated plenty of details, a lot of large dome doors near the ceiling.

If you come here, you should spend a few moments to watch the ancient style of building. And, remember to go inside to look at the ceiling, you will see it looks like a big wine tank. With the unique design, the post office makes tourists feel very spacious.

Another special thing is that the two sides of the building are depicted two historical maps of Saigon. These are meticulously hand-painted by artisans on the walls.

This building has a typical architecture, combining European style with Asian decoration, making visitors want to admire more motifs, not want to leave. Just when you come here, you will be impressed by the classic and modern beauty of the Saigon Post Office.

The post office is one of the nice places in Saigon for you to relax and escape from the heat while you go to visit attractions here. If you feel hot, go inside the City Post immediately. With two sides of the entrance are rows of green iron columns and old wooden chairs. When you sit here, you will feel like you are waiting for the next train in a British railway station in the 20th century.

Inside, there are still four rows of large wooden tables right in the centre to serve residents who conduct communications, mailing, express delivery… Interestingly, the main hall of the Saigon Post Office still keeps the old mailboxes and old phone booths, creating nostalgic feelings for the visitors.

Along the two corridors of the building are displayed thousands of souvenir products, postcards on the people of Vietnam as well as Saigon in particular to serve tourists. Although their price is a little higher than in other places, many guests like to have some gifts to remember this place.

Some travellers come here in part to admire the unique architecture of this post office. Many others visit it to take pictures of the historical architecture and send the letters through the post office to remember the old way of communication before cell phones develop.

History of Saigon Central Post Office

After capturing Saigon, France established a communication system. In 1860, The French people built a “Saigon Steel Wire Department” (meaning Saigon Post Office) right in the centre of the city.

The designer of this project is Gustave Eiffel, a famous French architect, who designed the Eiffel Tower (Paris), Statue of Liberty (New York), Long Bien Bridge (Hanoi), and Trang Tien Bridge ( Hue).

• In 1863, the Saigon Steel Department was established.
• In 1864, the first letters with the stamps (the first stamps to appear in Vietnam) were sent from Saigon to all over the world.
• In 1886, the Saigon Post Office was rebuilt according to the design project of architect Villedieu and his assistant Foulhoux, because it was not enough to meet the increasing demand of the people.
• In 1891, the new headquarters of Central Post Office inaugurated officially.

Today, Ho Chi Minh City Post Office with Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Opera House, the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. make a special monument complex, becoming icons that are hard to replace in the hearts of Saigon people.

The architecture of the post office from the outside

Built from 1886 – 1891 by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel of France, so this place also has architectural features from France.

The yellow colour of the Saigon Post impresses visitors from outside. In the early days of the soft sunshine, the Post Office shines brightly in the lovely yellow shirt. Especially, in the afternoon of sunny days, this building always lights up a brilliant colour, creating a perfect background for beautiful photos.

In the centre of the Post Office is a large clock that easily attracts the view of visitors when first coming here. The building has both a Western architectural style and Eastern classical highlights, enhancing the inherent value of the Post Office.

You also see many rectangular boxes on the walls, on which the inventors of the telegraph and electricity industries are listed.

Today, the City Post Office still operates to serve people with modern communication services. The post office also remains traditional services, such as the mailer, timer, express delivery, cultural souvenirs, and flower delivery. For many tourists, sending postcards from Ho Chi Minh City Post Office to relatives and friends is an interesting way to keep the old memories in modern life.

The Saigon Central Post Office is considered as a symbol in the life of the local people. The unique architectural beauty with delicate patterns has made any visitor coming here and then love it. We believe that when you visit it, you will have interesting experiences that are not everywhere.