Saigon Central Post Office

Next to Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral sits the Saigon Central Post Office. Like the cathedral, located right in the heart of the city, the Central Post Office has long become a prominent feature of the Ho Chi Minh City (old Saigon), always included in a city tour around Ho Chi Minh City. This grand old edifice was constructed between at the end of 19th century by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area. Its architectural design represents the French colonial style.

It is no doubt the biggest post office in Vietnam and is an important commercial center of Ho Chi Minh City. Due to limited Internet access in business enterprises and hotels in Saigon, the Central Post Office also serves as a major communication center of the city where natives and tourists get in touch with the rest of the world.

Visiting the Post Office building, you will easily find that its architect is very the same as the European railway stations. The modern skylight of this grand old structure resembles the famous European buildings like Paris' Les Halles or Milan's Galleria of the late nineteenth century. The central pavilion, with a huge clock and symmetrical extensions on both sides, add to its beauty.

This fascinating building with alcoves and logical fenestration is an outstanding display of French design influenced by Renaissance architecture. The arched windows of the Saigon Central Post Office are adorned with decorative capstones. The fames of the windows are creatively designed with engaged piers, crowned with imaginative human-headed capitals. The green window shutters resemble any other French colonial architecture.  The main entrance of the Central Post Office is decorated with intricate ironwork, creating a strange architectural style drawing curiosity of visitors. Once you are in the Saigon Central Post Office, you cannot afford to miss the huge maps of Vietnam on both sides of the building’s main entrance. The elegant interior is considered to be the most interesting feature of the Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City. The vaulted and shining interior with its glass canopy, huge ceilings and a giant portrait of Ho Chi Minh, has enough to charm you.

This busiest post office of Vietnam not only providing the usual mail services but also offers phones and fax machines for public use. Within the post office, there are also the counters sell stamps and souvenirs. The specialty stamps counter of the General Post Office offers some interesting collector sets for sale.

To make your trip to Vietnam ever memorable, spend some time to visit the famous Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City.

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