Gallery IIIB Rue Catinat / Đường Đồng Khởi

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Delphia Gallagher
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1 Gallery IIIB Rue Catinat / Đường Đồng Khởi Words and Photography by Kennie Ting Rue Catinat is the most historic street in Saigon, the Champs Élysées of the city in its heyday, housing the city s most famous hotels, restaurants, bars, boutiques and retail establishments. It was named for Nicolas Catinat, a maréchal of France between the 17 th and 18 th century. In the course of the late 20 th century, the street has undergone two name changes. Between 1955 and 1975, in the thick of the War and the American Occupation, it was known as Tu Do, or Freedom Street. Subsequently, once North Vietnam conquered the South, its name was changed once again to the present Đồng Khởi, or Total Uprising Street. Today, the street has lost much of its glamour and elegance, with many of its colonial- era buildings, and even the sidewalks, in dire need of repair. That notwithstanding, it is still the premiere street in Ho Chi Minh City for luxury hotels, luxury goods, antiques and art galleries, much like it was before the War. Quite miraculously, a majority of its famous establishments in particular, all of its famous hotels continue to exist, albeit in a restored and revised form. They sit alongside spanking new mall and hotel towers that have increasingly become the new visual norm on the street, threatening to overwhelm the quaint colonial atmosphere that clings on. This gallery presents some of the key landmarks on this most chameleonic of streets, which continues to remain at the heart of the city on the Saigon River. * * * * * Ting 1

The area was the Corsican quarter prior to 1955. After 1955, the building became the Tu Do Cabaret.

2 Fig. 1 The Majestic Hotel (1925), sitting at 1 Đồng Khởi Street. Beside it is the building that used to house La Croix du Sud (The Southern Cross), a nightclub run by Corsicans. The area was the Corsican quarter prior to After 1955, the building became the Tu Do Cabaret. It is now occupied by Wuttisak, a Thai clinic chain. Fig. 2 There s been a Maxim Theatre- Restaurant on this site since the 50s. Maxim s Nam An is now a high- end Vietnamese restaurant. Ting 2

3 Fig. 3 Jaspas s a restaurant serving Western Food. This spot was likely occupied by a former grocerie store, Thai Thach in the 50s. Fig. 4 This used to be the famous Le Pagode Bar and Café, which was the rendezvous for French Military Personnel. It is currently a Vietnamese restaurant, targeted at tourists. Ting 3

Now its an antiques and novelties store. Fig.

4 Fig. 5 There has been store run by the Nguyen Brothers on this site since the 50s. It was previously a cotton and silk store called Nguyen Chi Hoa. Now its an antiques and novelties store. Fig. 6 Evidence of restoration work along the street, which is populated today as it used to be by salons, boutiques, art galleries, book stores, novelty stores and the like. Ting 4

5 Fig. 7 The Grand Hotel (1930), the third most famous hotel on the street, after the Continental and the Majestic. It was once known as the Saigon Palace Hotel. The art deco façade has been retained, but the building is now topped by a multi- storey tower. Ting 5

6 Fig. 8 No. 58: Another building from the 50s, beautifully preserved, now housing Esprit. Ting 6

7 Fig. 9 This is where the famous Brodard Cafe, famous for its Viennese pastries, used to sit in the 50s. Up until very recently, it was still here, albeit run by the Gloria Jean Coffee company. It has now become a Sony store. Ting 7

11 The Sheraton Saigon, one of the first spanking new towers on the street.

8 Fig. 10 There used to be a Catinat Hotel on this street in the 50s. However, this modern incarnation sits in the original Miramar Hotel. Fig. 11 The Sheraton Saigon, one of the first spanking new towers on the street. Mojo is a bar and café hugely popular with the younger set and tourists, of course. Ting 8

On the ground floor sat the famous Givral Café, serving French patisseries, cheeses and delicatessen. Fig.

9 Fig. 12 The former Eden Center, currently being redeveloped into a mall. Thankfully, the developers seemed to have chosen a design that is in keeping with the colonial architecture of its surroundings. On the ground floor sat the famous Givral Café, serving French patisseries, cheeses and delicatessen. Fig. 13 Across from the Eden Center sits the Hotel Continental (1880). This is the view from its famous terrace (in the foreground), where countless writers and journalists have installed themselves, in order to observe the city s comings and goings. In the background sits the restored Opera House, previously the Vietnam National Assembly, and now the Municipal Theatre. Ting 9

While the façade remains, the interior is now a plush, luxurious and contemporary. Fig.

10 Fig. 14 The famous Rex Hotel (1966), with its roof- top bar. Not quite on Rue Catinat, but visible from it. It was made famous by American G.I.s during the War as its conference room held a daily conference on the state of events. While the façade remains, the interior is now a plush, luxurious and contemporary. Fig. 15 Across from the Opera House: once departmental store. It now houses the luxurious Opera View apartments, and Louis Vuitton. Ting 10

Personally, contemporary architecture notwithstanding, I do think the architect made an

11 Fig. 16 Lovely French colonial era apartment building, with a row of art galleries and boutiques on the ground floor. Fig. 17 The towers of Vincom, the largest mall in Vietnam. Personally, contemporary architecture notwithstanding, I do think the architect made an effort to reflect Vietnam s traditional architecture in the sloping glass roofs atop each tower. Ting 11

the building, and hundreds of people clamouring to get on. Fig.

12 Fig. 18 Another French colonial era apartment block. The building to the right apparently features in the iconic photograph of the Fall of Saigon, with a helicopter at the top of the building, and hundreds of people clamouring to get on. Fig. 19 To the right is the Catinat Post, which was variously used as a Secret Police headquarters and Office of National Defense, where revolutionaries were imprisoned and tortured. As of 1975, it has become the City Department of Culture and Information. Ting 12

13 Fig. 20 The neo- classical wedding- cake architecture of the General Post Office (1886). Fig. 21 Notre- Dame Cathedral (1880), sitting in Paris Square. In the background are the towers of Diamond Plaza. Ting 13

14 Fig. 22 Finally, another view of the Opera House on a rainy evening. Looming over it is the last famous hotel on Rue Catinat the Caravelle (1959), housing numerous foreign embassies and the offices of the New York Times and the Washington Post during the War. The original building sits to the right of the high- rise tower. Ting 14

My Saigon: The Local Guide To Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam By Elly Thuy Nguyen

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