VietNamNet Bridge – The Central Post Office is an architectural icon in Ho Chi Minh City, which welcomes both clients and tourists.

It is located at No. 2, Paris Commune Square Road in Ben Nghe Ward, District 1.

The building was designed by French architect Villedieu and his assistant Foulhoux. The work is in European style, combined with Asian decor.It was built from 1886-1891.

Inside the Saigon Central Post Office were two painted maps that were created just after the post office was built, the first located on the left side of the building is a map of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia titled ‘Lignes telegraphiques du Sud Vietnam et Cambodge 1892′ (Telegraphic lines of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia 1892).. The second map of greater Saigon is titled ‘Saigon et ses environs 1892′  (Sai Gon and its environment 1892).

The building, which has Gothic, Renaissance and French influences, fascinates tourists with its typical colonial French features, from exterior to interior decorations. Visitors may feel that they have been brought back to a 20th century railway station in Europe, rather than a post office in Asia.

Its ornate furnishings, gorgeously tiled floor, massively high ceilings and numerous wickets all speak of another place in time. The interior design is even more elegant with phone booths which are similar to those used in the colonial period.

Walking inside, the first things you notice are the two maps. The building interior is spacious, big and airy. The ceiling was designed with an arc shape which was carried by the two rows of steel pillars. This makes the building look grander and more stable. Also, the building is n harmony with the outside, with arched windows creatively designed with piers, green window shutters and a main entrance with intricate ironwork.

The Post Office offers all kinds of traditional postal services like mailing, selling postcards or stamps (there is a big array of stamps to choose, which range in price). Foreign money exchange is also available.

A one man in the Post Office is famous - Mr. Duong Van Ngo – an old man sitting at the end of a long wooden table underneath a mural of Ho Chi Minh, behind the sign “Information and Writing Assistance”.

Mr. Ngo has been working here since he was 17, as a polyglot public letter writer. Being the last letter writer in old Saigon, he’s a source of stories of how can connect people across the planet with his fountain pen.

The building is always included in city tours, as it’s quite easy to get there on foot, bike or motorbike from other attractions like Reunification Palace or War Remnants Museum. It is open daily from 6AM to 10 PM.

Zing/Vietnamonline