by Farah Zulkefly
Vietnamese architecture has fascinated me since my first trip to Saigon. No two buildings are the same yet they share many similar traits. The influx of foreign powers has crept its way into everyday Vietnamese life. The varieties of styles reflect the influences of French, American and Chinese cultures. Architectural styles here can be categorized into a few major classifications: Chinese, colonial, vernacular and contemporary. This is the first of a two-part article. In this article, I will focus on the buildings we visited as part of our tourist-y activities.
The most prominent buildings in Saigon are the ones inherited through colonialism. On Day One, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, an intimidating structure of red brick and arches with a gigantic clock adorning its façade (kind of like my planet-of-a-pimple on the bridge of my nose between my eyes at the start of this trip).
The cathedral, is in fact a replica of its more recognized counterpart in Paris – though I suppose the hunchback, Quasimodo and his gypsy fling, Esmeralda aren’t likely to pop out from a crevice or shadows where walls are joined together. On a more factual note, it took three years to complete the building, with the materials used in its construction being imported directly from France. As Dr. Yeoh says “You all like imported stuff right?” But let us not depart from the fascinating subtle beauty embedded in every stone - and in some cases, unturned ones.
Though parts of the cathedral itself were damaged during the war, many of them such as tiles were replaced with new ones made in Saigon itself. The most imposing structure of the cathedral however, is the dominating but benevolent statue of the “Regina Pacis” more commonly known in layman’s terms as the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus! The statue arrived from France to Saigon on 16 February 1959.
We also visited the Re-unification Palace, christened as such because it was meant to signify the reunion of Northern and Southern Vietnam following the years of American military occupation in the country. The Vietnamese flag, which flies today on the highest pole of the Re-unification Palace stands as a proud symbol for the Vietnamese from the day they floored the accelerator of a tank and rammed it through the palace gates, effectively seizing control of the palace from its American occupants. The tank still stands today - as a reminder of solidarity amongst the people - within the palace grounds. Besides functioning as a historical tourist attraction of sorts, the palace still has its purpose in contemporary Vietnamese politics. It was designed by the architect Ngô Viết Thụ and was both residence and office the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Sadly, we ran out of time as we got there after visiting hours. So I will describe what we saw on the outside, and what we didn’t see on the inside (briefly), which I was privileged to see in 2009. You game?
At first glance, the palace appears to be an apparition of Barack Obama’s backyard, albeit with a circular grassy courtyard with a fountain in the middle, framed by a semi-circle of Vietnamese flags. The structure itself is conglomeration of various rooms of various functions including staterooms, libraries and even underground war rooms, reminiscent of old CIA offices on American TV.
In view of these buildings, which set the benchmark in Saigon architecture, I will next be looking at the French influences that have been brought forward and absorbed into contemporary buildings that make up Saigon’s cityscape in the sequel to document the breathtaking architecture of Vietnam.
The most prominent buildings in Saigon are the ones inherited through colonialism. On Day One, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, an intimidating structure of red brick and arches with a gigantic clock adorning its façade (kind of like my planet-of-a-pimple on the bridge of my nose between my eyes at the start of this trip).
The cathedral, is in fact a replica of its more recognized counterpart in Paris – though I suppose the hunchback, Quasimodo and his gypsy fling, Esmeralda aren’t likely to pop out from a crevice or shadows where walls are joined together. On a more factual note, it took three years to complete the building, with the materials used in its construction being imported directly from France. As Dr. Yeoh says “You all like imported stuff right?” But let us not depart from the fascinating subtle beauty embedded in every stone - and in some cases, unturned ones.
Though parts of the cathedral itself were damaged during the war, many of them such as tiles were replaced with new ones made in Saigon itself. The most imposing structure of the cathedral however, is the dominating but benevolent statue of the “Regina Pacis” more commonly known in layman’s terms as the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus! The statue arrived from France to Saigon on 16 February 1959.
We also visited the Re-unification Palace, christened as such because it was meant to signify the reunion of Northern and Southern Vietnam following the years of American military occupation in the country. The Vietnamese flag, which flies today on the highest pole of the Re-unification Palace stands as a proud symbol for the Vietnamese from the day they floored the accelerator of a tank and rammed it through the palace gates, effectively seizing control of the palace from its American occupants. The tank still stands today - as a reminder of solidarity amongst the people - within the palace grounds. Besides functioning as a historical tourist attraction of sorts, the palace still has its purpose in contemporary Vietnamese politics. It was designed by the architect Ngô Viết Thụ and was both residence and office the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Sadly, we ran out of time as we got there after visiting hours. So I will describe what we saw on the outside, and what we didn’t see on the inside (briefly), which I was privileged to see in 2009. You game?
At first glance, the palace appears to be an apparition of Barack Obama’s backyard, albeit with a circular grassy courtyard with a fountain in the middle, framed by a semi-circle of Vietnamese flags. The structure itself is conglomeration of various rooms of various functions including staterooms, libraries and even underground war rooms, reminiscent of old CIA offices on American TV.
In view of these buildings, which set the benchmark in Saigon architecture, I will next be looking at the French influences that have been brought forward and absorbed into contemporary buildings that make up Saigon’s cityscape in the sequel to document the breathtaking architecture of Vietnam.
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Farah Zulkefly, majoring in Journalism and Communications, is an omnivorous being who loves spending time in the depths of the ocean where humans can't talk with turtles and other reef inhabitants. She has a closet love for architecture and interiors but cannot draw to save her life.
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