The Word - Ho Chi Minh City

The Freckled Gypsies are making their way through Saigon’s unconscious

Post-1975 has seen a virtual rebuilding of Saigon, the creating of a new metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City, and a blackout of the past. With the help of historian Tim Doling, we take a step back in time and look at 50 buildings — 50 sites accessible to the general public that chart the development of Saigon into the conurbation it is today. On the following page we look at the sites with relevance to post-war Vietnam.

Following the departure of the French, Vietnam began a struggle for re-unification and independence from interests overseas. With the help of historian Tim Doling, we take a step back in time and look at 50 buildings — 50 sites accessible to the general public that chart the development of Saigon into the conurbation it is today.

Tourists and travel companies tend to bypass much of the history of the city in favour of the more accessible and better maintained sites open to the public. With the help of historian Tim Doling, we take a step back in time and look at 50 buildings — 50 sites accessible to the general public that chart the development of Saigon into the conurbation it is today. We'll also look at the buildings constructed during the time of colonial Vietnam.

With the help of historian Tim Doling, we take a step back in time and look at 50 buildings — 50 sites accessible to the general public that chart the development of Saigon into the conurbation it is today. On the following page we look at the buildings and people in the time before the arrival of the French.