Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Building (Hotel de Ville)

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Building, often called the Hotel de Ville, stands at 86 Le Thanh Ton in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at the head of Nguyen Hue Walking Street. French architect Paul Gardes designed it, and it was built between 1901 and 1908 in an ornate French colonial style often compared with Paris town halls. The yellow and white facade is decorated with columns, balconies, carved stonework and a central clock tower topped with a decorative cupola, and the building is one of the most photographed in the city. It originally served as the Hotel de Ville of colonial Saigon and today houses the municipal government, so the interior is not open to the public and visitors can view only the exterior. In front of the building stands a bronze statue of Ho Chi Minh sitting with a child, set in a small park and square, which is a popular spot for photographs and for Tet flower displays. The best photographic angle is from the end of Nguyen Hue Walking Street, looking up toward the facade, or from the Opera House side. In the evening the building is lit in gold and white, making it especially photogenic, and the square fills with families and groups. A visit takes only 10 to 15 minutes, but the building is a natural start for a walk down the boulevard toward the river, and it lies a short walk from the Opera House, Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum. Access to the exterior is free and available at any time.