We checked into our room at the Sheraton Saigon located in the luxurious First District. Our room looked down on the iconic Rex Hotel. During the Vietnam War, the hotel was the site of the United States military command's daily press conference, derisively named Five O'Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided. Its rooftop bar was a well-known hangout spot for military officials and war correspondents.
District 1 (Quận 1, Quận Một or Quận Nhất) is the central urban district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the largest city in Vietnam. With a total area of 7.7211 km2 (2.9811 sq mi) the district has a population of 204,899 people as of 2010. The district is divided into 10 small subsets which are called wards (phường). District 1 contains most of the city's administrative offices, consulates, and large buildings. District 1 is the busiest district in the city with the highest living standards. Đồng Khởi street and Nguyễn Huệ boulevard in District 1 are the city's two main commercial centers. Đồng Khởi street is an area in high demand for real estate, hitting a record price of $50,000 per square meter in 2007.
District 1 and the other seven districts of Ho Chi Minh City were founded on May 27, 1959. Before 1975, the first district only had four small subsets (wards) which were Bến Nghé, Hòa Bình, Trần Quang Khải and Tự Đức (named after major historical characters), and the second district had seven different wards which were Bến Thành, Bùi Viện, Cầu Kho, Cầu Ông Lãnh, Huyện Sĩ, Nguyễn Cảnh Chân and Nguyễn Cư Trinh. In May 1976 the first and second districts were combined into the District 1 of today.
District 1 is located towards the center of Ho Chi Minh City. The district is bordered to the north by Bình Thạnh District and Phú Nhuận District with the Thị Nghè canal as the border, District 3 to the west with Hai Bà Trưng street and Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai street as the border, Thủ Đức city to the east with the Saigon River as the border, District 5 to the southwest with Nguyễn Văn Cừ street as the border, and District 4 to the south, with the Bến Nghé canal as a border.
When Saigon was governed by South Vietnam, Air Vietnam's head office was located in District 1.
District 1 is considered the financial center of Saigon and Vietnam. It is home to the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and Vietnamese headquarters of international banks such as HSBC, ANZ, Standard Chartered, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of China, and Maybank. District 1 also known as the best spot for shopping in Vietnam, with a high concentration of shopping centres and luxury brands.
District 1 was effectively shutdown for tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, causing many restaurants, bars, clubs, and hotels, to suffer major financial distress.
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's biggest and busiest city, with a large population of immigrants from around the world living and working there. Because District 1 is the city's central district, many foreign consulates are located there.
Buildings such as the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the Saigon Opera House, the Central Post Office, the City Hall, Phạm Ngũ Lão Street, the former Republic of Vietnam President's Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, Hotel Majestic, Tao Dan Park, and Rex Hotel are some of the most famous historical sights in District 1. Besides these places, most streets in District 1 built and designed since 1946 were completed by the French. Most of the buildings constructed since the French colonial era are still standing, with most having been recently renovated.
Buildings such as the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the Saigon Opera House, the Central Post Office, the City Hall, Phạm Ngũ Lão Street, the former Republic of Vietnam President's Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, Hotel Majestic, Tao Dan Park, and Rex Hotel are some of the most famous historical sights in District 1. Besides these places, most streets in District 1 built and designed since 1946 were completed by the French. Most of the buildings constructed since the French colonial era are still standing, with most having been recently renovated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_1,_Ho_Chi_Minh_City
THE REX HOTEL SAIGON (Vietnamese: Khách Sạn Rex, French: Hôtel Rex de Saïgon) is a famous luxury and business hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The 286-room, five-story building is located in District 1 of the city, close to the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica and the Municipal Theatre. In 2003, the hotel underwent extension and renovation works in its architecture, interior design and engineering services. It is owned by the state-owned enterprise Saigon Tourist.
Constructed in 1927, for French businessman Bainier, during France's colonial rule of Vietnam, the building started out as a two-story auto dealership and garage complex, called "Bainier Auto Hall". The building showcased Citroën and other European cars. From 1959 to 1975, Mr. and Mrs. Ung Thi renovated the building into the 100-room "Rex Complex" hotel, which featured three cinemas, a cafeteria, a dance hall and a library.
The first guests in the Rex came in December 1961, while it was still in its final construction phase. They were 400 U.S. Army soldiers, 200 each from the 57th Transportation Company from Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Washington, and the 8th Transportation Company from Fort Bragg, NC. They were the first company-strength units to arrive in Saigon, equipped with twenty H-21 twin rotor Shawnee helicopters, on the USS Core, on December 11, 1961. They were billeted at the Rex for a week or so while their tents were being set up at Tan Son Nhat for the 57th, and the 8th at Quy Nhon. A Thanksgiving dinner, held a few weeks after the actual holiday, was cooked in the men's field kitchen on the rooftop of the Rex.
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the state's Saigon Tourism Bureau took ownership of the hotel and renamed it Ben Thanh ("The City Port"). The hotel was used as the location for the press conference announcing the reunification of Vietnam in 1976.In 1986, the hotel was renamed Rex Hotel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_HotelIn doing this research, I was blown away by the pictures of downtown Saigon in the Wikipedia article. The skyline looked nothing like that in 2007 as you will see.
For more images of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and narratives, please see my previous post:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-758304-1.htmlhttps://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-758452-1.htmlhttps://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-758616-1.htmlI hope you enjoy them!
Mark
We checked into our room at the Sheraton Saigon lo... (
