Saigon Central Post Office

The Saigon Central Post Office at 2 Cong Xa Paris in District 1 is a working post office and one of the most visited colonial landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Designed in the late 19th century in a style long attributed to Gustave Eiffel's firm, though this is debated, it stands directly across the square from Notre-Dame Cathedral. The facade is painted a warm yellow with arched windows and a clock above the entrance, and the interior is a cavernous hall with a vaulted iron-frame ceiling supported by slender columns. A large map of old Saigon and the surrounding region is painted on one wall, a map of the telegraph lines of southern Vietnam and Cambodia hangs on another, and a portrait of Ho Chi Minh faces the entrance. Along the sides, wooden counters and old phone booths remain in use, and stalls sell postcards, stamps and souvenirs. Visitors can buy a stamp and post a card home, which is a popular reason to go inside. A visit typically takes twenty to thirty minutes. The best vantage point for photographs is from the entrance looking down the length of the hall toward the portrait, and the exterior is best photographed from the cathedral square. The hall is busiest in mid-morning when tour groups pass through, so early morning or early afternoon on a weekday is quieter. Entry is free. Visitors should be aware that some photographers and letter writers near the entrance may offer paid services. The post office is walkable from Dong Khoi Street and fits naturally with the cathedral, the Opera House and Reunification Palace in a single central walk.