Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Grotte de Glace
Sinquerim Beach Bastion
Port Tobacco Schoolhouse
Barracks / munitions storage.
Vloethemveld
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Green-Wood Cemetery, overlooking New York Harbor.
Where Our Team Looked for Joy During Pandemic Lockdowns
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office

This French colonial post office is arguably the grandest in all of Southeast Asia.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Added By
Tony Dunnell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Saigon Central Post Office.   trungydang/cc by 3.0
Saigon Central Post Office.   WiNG/cc by 3.0
Saigon Central Post Office.   trungydang/cc by 3.0
Saigon Central Post Office.   Ekrem Canli/cc by-sa 3.0
Ho Chi Minh - Saigon Main Post Office [6/2016]   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Phonebooths now ATMs - The Main Post Office [6/2016]   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Painting of Saigon circa 1892 - The Main Post Office [6/2016]   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
  mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
The GPO has remained unchanged since it was completed and is therefore a wonderful colonial edifice!   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Saigon Central Post Office.   Jean-Pierre Dalbéra/cc by 2.0
Main counter inside the post office.   William Cho/cc by-sa 2.0
Saigon Central Post Office in 1895.   Salles, André (1860-1929)/public domain
Telephone booths inside Saigon Central Post Office.   Jean-Pierre Dalbéra/CC BY 2.0
HO CHI MINH   LUCOTRAVEL
  tahasic / Atlas Obscura User
Saigon Central Post Office.   Eustaquio Santimano/cc by 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Built during French colonial times, the Saigon Central Post Office is perhaps among the most impressive post offices in Southeast Asia. Often erroneously attributed to Gustave Eiffel, it was, in fact, the last work of Marie-Alfred Foulhoux, Saigon's acclaimed Architect-in-Chief.

In 1874, the French architect Marie-Alfred Foulhoux (1840-1892) moved to the recently established French colony of Cochinchina in South Vietnam. After five years in Saigon, he was appointed Architect-in-Chief and spent much of the rest of his life designing and building some of the most important buildings in the city, including the Palais de Justice, the Customs Department building, and the Lieutenant Governor’s Palace.

His final work, built between 1886 and 1891, was the Saigon Central Post Office. Constructed around a prefabricated cast iron frame, with a towering vaulted ceiling and arched windows, the post office mixes European architecture—French, Gothic and Renaissance—with East Asian designs.

Along the light-yellow Neo-Baroque facade, window plaques bear the names of leading scientists and philosophers, including Descartes, Morse, Ampere, Volta, Ohm, and Faraday. The decoration of the roof ridges, meanwhile, was inspired by Khmer art.

Walk inside, and you'll be struck by the sense of space under the huge vaulted ceiling, supported by two rows of steel pillars, not too dissimilar to an old European railway station. It's very much a colonial building, with ornate wooden counter-tops, patterned tiled floors, and antiquated telephone boxes.

But though much of the space feels European, it contains a few reminders that you're still in Saigon, such as the large portrait of Ho Chi Minh on the far wall. That, and the two historic maps painted on either wall, one depicting the telegraph lines of southern Vietnam and Cambodia in 1892, and the other a map of Saigon and its surroundings in 1892.

Another iconic feature of the post office is Mr. Duong Van Ngo, who you'll typically find sitting at a table underneath the portrait of Ho Chi Minh. Mr. Ngo, now in his late 80s, has been working at Saigon Central Post Office since he was 17. For more than 25 years, he has faithfully served as the post office's letter writer, writing letters for those who cannot write for themselves. Pen in hand, he writes in French and English, and charges about 50 cents per page.

Related Tags

Architecture Postal Colonialism Mail

Know Before You Go

Saigon Central Post Office is a fully-functional post office, from where you can send and receive mail, buy stamps and postcards, make international calls, and exchange foreign money. It's located at 2 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, close to Diamond Plaza and Notre Dame Cathedral in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. The post office's business hours are from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., although the building sometimes remains open for longer for visitors who just want to look around.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Vietnam: Fish Sauce, Pho & Royal Tea

Eating your way from North to South in Vietnam.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Tony Dunnell

Edited By

delilahhart, mordekia, Springer, katielou106...

  • delilahhart
  • mordekia
  • Springer
  • katielou106
  • tahasic
  • hicanha
  • sjexplorer

Published

September 14, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.historicvietnam.com/foulhouxs-saigon/
  • https://theculturetrip.com/asia/vietnam/articles/the-history-of-the-saigon-central-post-office/
  • https://www.vietnamonline.com/attraction/central-post-office.html
  • https://hochiminhcityhighlights.com/saigon-central-post-office
  • https://www.alotrip.com/guide-vietnam-attractions/saigon-central-post-office
  • http://vovworld.vn/en-US/discovery-vietnam/saigon-central-post-office-unique-architectural-complex-in-ho-chi-minh-city-584342.vov
  • https://theplanetd.com/things-to-do-in-ho-chi-minh-city/#4_Saigon_Central_Post_Office
Saigon Central Post Office
Số 125 Công xã Paris
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
10.779858, 106.699908
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

miles away

Reunification Palace

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

miles away

Bún Riêu Gánh

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Places 14
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

miles away

Reunification Palace

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

miles away

Bún Riêu Gánh

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Places 14
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

10 Post Offices Worth Writing Home About

List

By Isaac Schultz

Related Places

  • Post Box at Tin Ma Court

    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong's Colonial Post Boxes

    These post boxes from a bygone era have been the source of controversy and debate.

  • St. Petersburg, Florida

    St. Petersburg Post Office

    A creative deviation in this post office's design was once a source of controversy.

  • Houston, Texas

    POST Houston

    A former post office turned venue, food hall, and retail center.

  • Mumbai, India

    Flora Fountain

    An iconic fountain dedicated to the Roman goddess Flora stands in the heart of Mumbai.

  • Toronto, Ontario

    First Toronto Post Office

    The first post office in Toronto still operates today, complete with quill pens and ink for writing letters.

  • Espada Aqueduct

    San Antonio, Texas

    Espada Aqueduct

    Water still flows through the oldest Spanish aqueduct in America.

  • Just a few of the quirky mailboxes along Wilmot’s letterbox trail.

    Wilmot, Australia

    Wilmot Novelty Letterbox Trail

    In Tasmania's "Valley of Views," dozens of novelty mailboxes add a quirky element to the landscape.

  • Southernmost Post Office in the World

    Ushuaia, Argentina

    Postal del Fin del Mundo

    The southernmost postal office in South America.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.