Saigon Central Post Office
Saigon Central Post Office is one of the most beautiful preserved remnants of the French since their colonial period in Ho Chi Minh City. It is considered the most magnificent post office in Southeast Asia, and become an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists. This article will show you many features of this special place.
Where is Saigon Central Post Office and how to get there?
Where is Saigon Central Post Office
Saigon Central Post office is located in No 2 Cong xa Paris, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The Saigon Central Post Office is opposite other famous buildings such as Diamond Plaza, the Notre Dame Cathedral, so you will not miss it.
The opening hours:
- From Monday to Friday: 7 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday: 7 AM – 6 PM
- Sunday: 8 AM – 6 PM
How to get there
- Bus: If you want to visit Saigon Central Post Office by bus, take the buses number: 03, 120, 19, 30, 93
- Taxi: You can take a taxi to Saigon Central Post Office. It costs around 5 USD for 5 minutes drive from the Ho Chi Minh City center
- Walk: You can walk to the Central Post Office if you are at other tourist attractions nearby such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace. It will take around 20 minutes if you stay in the hotel in District 1.
Saigon Central Post Office
The History of Saigon Central Post Office
Saigon Center Post Office was designed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel, who designed Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty. In 1864, the stork stamp was the first stamp in Vietnam, appeared on letters from Saigon Central Post Office to all over the world.
In 1891, a new post office was officially inaugurated. The post office witnessed many historical ups and downs. With unique and sophisticated architecture, Saigon Central Post Office is not only a place of communication and correspondence but also become one of the hot places in Saigon that many young people come to check-in and take photos of.
Saigon Post Office's structure and architecture
The structure of the building is a combination of Western and Asian building styles. You can see it clearly when you enter the main entrance. The giant clock is hung above the gate. Between the old green windows, there are names of French inventors who devoted to telegram and electricity. They are Benjamin Franklin, Alessandro Volta, and Michael Faraday
Visiting Saigon Central Post Office, you will see images of two historical maps, one shows the telecom system of Cambodia and Vietnam in 1936, and the other describes Saigon and its surrounding areas in 1892. On each side of the entrance are rows of straight green iron columns and shiny brown wooden chairs. In the center of the post office is the image of Uncle Ho - the beloved leader of the nation.
Especially, the dome-shaped design creates a feeling of nostalgia and spaciousness for visitors. Post offices still keep old mailboxes, phone booths, souvenirs such as stamps, or old letters.
Inside Saigon Central Post Office
Things to do at Saigon Center Post Office
Buy postcards
Visiting the post office, you can buy some postcards printed with iconic buildings of Ho Chi Minh City, such as Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace, etc. from the gift shop in the center, and send them home using mailing service here. Saigon Central Post Office has 38 customer counters service available to support you
Use the telegrams and parcels mailing service
Every day, there is a large number of Vietnamese and foreign visitors coming here to use the services at the post office. You can see the guide signs in English, so it is easy to use the service here. There you can meet an old man at one of the writing tables in the central hall. He is Duong Van Ngo, who is a translator and a public letter-writer since he was 18. Although he has retired from his job, he often goes walking here and helps the people write letters in English and French
Saigon Post office is a great place to selfie
The Central Post Office is located close to many other tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, which gives travelers the convenience of touring these attractions together on their own foot. After visiting these places, you can also enjoy the city center’s atmosphere around with a variety of premium coffee shops to local sidewalk coffee vendors. The locals often feed the doves landing around the area, which attracts many of them to come in every day.
Trip that visit Saigon Central Post Office
