The Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh is a beautifully preserved remnant of French colonial times and perhaps the grandest post office in all of Southeast Asia. Located next door to Notre Dame Cathedral, the two cultural sites can be visited together and offers visitors a chance to imagine life in Vietnam during the times of the Indochinese Empire. The building was designed by Gustave Eiffel – the renowned engineer who also designed the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower – and features arched windows and wooden shutters, just as it would have in its heyday in the late 19th Century.

The Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh was constructed between 1886 and 1891 and once inside, the looping arches, intricately designed marble floors and antiquated telephone boxes all serve as a reminder of the importance the post office played in days before email and mobile phones. Although the architecture is distinctly French, the large portrait of Ho Chi Minh hanging high above everyone at the far end of the building reminds everyone we are definitely in Vietnam. Painted onto walls overhead are two maps of the region; one of them showing the telegraph lines that crisscross Vietnam and Cambodia and the other displaying a map of the Saigon region in 1892.

Although the experience is a fascinating glimpse into history, the fact that this is still a functioning post office makes the experience even sweeter, and we encourage everyone to send a letter or postcard from here – it’s a piece of living history where even the old fashioned glue pots are still in use for sticking stamps to letters. There are two wings branching out from the main office, selling souvenirs, postcards and lacquerware but the prices are inflated and the same products can probably be found elsewhere for a better price.
Central Post Office
Opening Hours: 7am to 8pm
Location: 2 Công xã Paris, District 1
Marble Mountains, located a short distance from the City centre, are familiar to everyone who has been to Danang City and are a symbol of the area. The ambience of pagodas,...
Reunification Palace is (known as Independence Palace) the famous historical witness which passed through the two fierce wars against the French and American...
Non Nuoc Beach in Da Nang takes up five kilometres of Hoa Hai Ward’s coastline, featuring soft white sands, a gentle slope, unpolluted waters and mild waves all year...
Situated close to the Ben Thanh market, the Mariamman Hindu temple serves the small community of 100 or so Chinese and Vietnamese Tamil Hindus living in Ho Chi Minh City.
Po Sha Nu Tower is an ancient relic that was built in the late 8 th century and early 9 th century at Cham Kingdom. This tower has a sophistication and unique architecture...
The most famous historical relic in Bac Kan is ATK, the complex of underground tunnels and rooms emboldened by a missile defense system in Cho Don (Bac Kan).
The Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh is an elegant colonial building at the intersection of Le Loi and Dong Khoi Street in District 1, very close to the famous Notre Dame...
Nam Nha pagoda is famous not only by the beauty of elegant architect, peaceful and quiet palace but also by the historical – cultural relic. So it becomes a popular...
If people have a chance to travel to Bac Lieu , they are difficult to ignore an attractive palace, Prince of Bac Lieu House. The house was designed by French engineer and...
Giac Lam Pagoda, built in 1744, is the oldest Buddhist temple in Ho Chi Minh City and as such was listed as an important historical site by the Vietnamese Department of...
Price from: 43 US$
Price from: 199 US$
Price from: 110 US$
Price from: 28 US$