Saigon Central Post Office, also called Ho Chi Minh Post Office, is an iconic attraction of the city. Covering the French colonial style and bright color outside, it becomes a photo spot, tourist place, and architectural site.
Ho Chi Minh City Post Office
The central post office is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.
- Address: 2 Cong Xa Paris Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Opening hours: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm, busy time: from 8:30 am – 10:00 am and 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- Entrance fee: You are free to visit.
- Phone number: 028 3822 1677
Historical information of the first Post Office in Saigon
After controlling Gia Dinh (the old name of Saigon), France established a communication system.
On 11.11.1860, the “Saigon Steel Wire Department,” meaning Saigon Post Office, was established. Mr. Pham Van Trung was the first Vietnamese to be a director of An Nam Post Office in Saigon.
On 13.1.1863, the Saigon Department of Steel Wire was officially inaugurated and issued the first “Con co,” meaning stamp. The stamps had the phoenix, the symbol of King Napoleon III, and cost 0.1 – 0.4 francs.
The first stamped letter was sent to the world in 1864. Since then, the Saigonese people have begun sending mail through the post office.
On March 22, 1888, the steel wire of telegram 2,000 km long connected the North and South, running Saigon – Quy Nhon – Da Nang – Hue – Vinh – Hanoi. By 1889, another telegraph line was connected to Saigon – Bangkok (Thailand), specializing in serving trade.
The Saigon Post Office was rebuilt according to the design project of architect Villedieu (French) and officially opened in 1891. Its building has been maintained until now.
On July 1, 1894, the first telephones appeared in Saigon, communicated via the Steel Department, and this communication system was continuously exploited, changed, and upgraded.
The architecture of Saigon Central Post Office
The French built the Saigon Post Office from 1886 to 1891, following the design project of architect Villedieu and his assistant Foulhoux. Architectural works in the European style combine with Asian decoration.
Outside, the front of the house is decorated with rectangular boxes on the columns, on which are listed the inventors of the telegraph and electricity industries.
The highlight is an oversized watch above the main gate. Above the watch, a person wearing laurels is visible, and the bottom shows the building’s year of construction and inauguration.
When entering the building, you will admire an arch roof resembling a big wine box. Many beautiful patterns are elaborately designed. Also, you can find classic telephone boxes made of wood, which you can use to call your friends.
You will also notice two historical maps on the domed roof. On the right is a map of Saigon around 1892; on the left is a power line map of Vietnam and Cambodia in 1936.
>>> You can like another French architectural building – HCMC Fine Arts Museum.
A historical person living with the Post Office
The Post Office also had a witness well-known for Saigoneers. It is a “century-long renting writer” working at the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office.
His name is Duong Van Ngo. He was born in 1930. At 17, he was a student at Petrus Ky School and an apprentice at Saigon Post Office. At 22, he was an official employee with the title “Consulting mail procedures.”
Good at French and learning English in 1965, Mr. Duong worked here until his retirement. After he retired, the post office favored him a small corner with a table on which several dictionaries and signboards “Where to write and help.”
At that time, there was no computer, international communication was only available through fax machines, and telephone was limited. People sending letters abroad had to write them by hand. Mr. Duong listened attentively to each person who needed help spreading his heart. And then, he wrote it to them with a low fee in both Vietnamese and French or English.
He diligently goes to the office every day, never resting, whether it is a holiday, New Year, or Sunday.
During many years of writing down the feelings and emotions of other people, the image of the small, gentle, gracious old man went into the hearts of the Saigon people. On average, he helped more than 700,000 customers and wrote over 31,000 letters, which were sent all over the world.
The activities to do in the Saigon Post Office
Nowadays, the central post office still usually operates to serve people with modern communication services and many traditional services. For many visitors, many activities can be done at this site:
- Sending postcards from the Central Post Office to relatives and friends is a way to keep exciting memories in modern times.
- Taking a call from the classic telephone in an old phone box can make different feelings when you enter the office.
- Buying souvenirs and old stamps is good for memory. Although the price can be higher in other areas, many guests still like to buy them here because of the different and historical feelings.
- Taking pictures in front of and inside the building is a great activity to enrich your holidays in Ho Chi Minh City.
- Writing a letter or postcard to your close friends will be surprising in modern life, while most of us just receive emails or letters printed by the computer.
- You are hiring an old man to write your letter. Mr. Duong Van Go is a remarkable man who has written thousands of pages for many people since tens of years ago at the central post office.
Every time I came to Ho Chi Minh City, I also visited the Saigon Central Post Office. I do not send anything there, but its beauty and history inspire me to come back again and again.
How about you? Will you come to visit the historical post office of Ho Chi Minh?
