Cafe Majestic: In A City Ho Chi Minh
Demolition crews get to work on colonial buildings along Dong Khoi road.'The Pearl of Saigon', the Hotel Majestic was built in 1925 in Art Deco style. It is situated at the corner of Dong Khoi and Ton Duc Thang, near the Saigon River. One old name, two new. One word in a foreign language, two in Vietnamese. Dong Khoi under the French was called Rue Catinat. 'A very French street', a writer who has been living in Saigon since 1954 told me. This was also the most beautiful street in Saigon under the French. Not too wide with only two lanes, but each side packed with many beautiful French-style buildings, shops, cinemas, famous cafes and restaurants. This was the place where the intellectuals, writers, journalists, tourists and the wealthy elite of the city met. His words reminded me that it is not only Hanoi that is 'very French'. Saigon is even 'more French'. Indeed, the South was a French colony, while the North was only considered a protected territory.
In a City, Ho Chi Minh, is the second book in a series of short stories about Vietnam, commissioned by the British Council. The first series was shot in Hanoi.
18/12/2010, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Cafe Majestic: In A City Ho Chi Minh
Demolition crews get to work on colonial buildings along Dong Khoi road.'The Pearl of Saigon', the Hotel Majestic was built in 1925 in Art Deco style. It is situated at the corner of Dong Khoi and Ton Duc Thang, near the Saigon River. One old name, two new. One word in a foreign language, two in Vietnamese. Dong Khoi under the French was called Rue Catinat. 'A very French street', a writer who has been living in Saigon since 1954 told me. This was also the most beautiful street in Saigon under the French. Not too wide with only two lanes, but each side packed with many beautiful French-style buildings, shops, cinemas, famous cafes and restaurants. This was the place where the intellectuals, writers, journalists, tourists and the wealthy elite of the city met. His words reminded me that it is not only Hanoi that is 'very French'. Saigon is even 'more French'. Indeed, the South was a French colony, while the North was only considered a protected territory.
In a City, Ho Chi Minh, is the second book in a series of short stories about Vietnam, commissioned by the British Council. The first series was shot in Hanoi.
18/12/2010, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.