Ho Chi Minh City Hall

Saigon City Hall: A Hundred Year's Legacy

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Head Office, or usually referred to as Saigon City Hall, has been the official hall of the city for over a century. The City Hall was first planned in 1871 and started being built in 1898. It was, however, first finished in 1908 after several changes in the original floor plan. The building was designed by the French architect Fernand Gardes and decorated by the painter and sculpturer Ruffier, who was later replaced by Bonnet.

Along with the growth of Saigon, the City Hall has been an avenue for, and witness of, important political and social events. It was a place that reflected many contemporary state affairs where various political demonstration and events were held. Two of them are the 1949’s accords signed by Bao Dai to establish the State of Vietnam and the 1955’s referendum that led to the birth of the Republic of Vietnam under Ngo Dinh Diem. 

During over a century of its history, the building has been renamed several times. Initially being called in French Hotel de Ville (City Hall, Dinh Xã Tây) like its counterpart in Paris. The site changed into City Hall of Saigon (Toà Đô Chánh Sài Gòn) under the South Vietnam Government during the period from 1954 to1975. After 1975, the name was changed into The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City (Uỷ ban Nhân dân TP.HCM).

An Elaborate Colonial Design

The style and inspiration behind the construction comes from several Western classizing architectural styles like Renaissance, Baroque and especially Beaux-Arts.

Besides serving as references to certain architectural styles, classical elements such as columns, pediments, elaborate reliefs, and sculptures at the hall each represent certain values. Interestingly, analyzing these design motifs expressed in the exterior and interior spaces of the hall reveals certain underlying political and social messages of the French colonial period, and beyond. With its impressive location and design, the City Hall has received a mixed reaction from the public, in both the time it was built and during its long history.

Essential to the understanding of the City Hall as an important political building is its location right at the end of Nguyen Hue Boulevard. The 670-meter long walking path leads visitors straight to the front facade of the hall, filled with green trees, colorful flowers, water fountains, and inground lights. The landscape design exudes a sense of harmony with nature, which also establishes the City Hall as a friendly and welcoming governmental office, at least from a distance.

This message is further emphasized as visitors walk down Nguyen Hue Street and arrive in front of the Uncle Ho monument. First erected in 1995 and changed into its current design in 2015, the weathered steel monument depicts Uncle Ho slightly waving at visitors with a welcoming smile. It is interesting to note that such gesture bears resemblance to the statue Augustus of Primaporta showing the first Roman emperor in distinct imperial gesture. Both statues state a clear message of power, control, and protection. In case of Saigon City Hall, together with the harmonious walking path, the statue stands as if declaring the true national icon that governs the building behind – a friendly and welcoming communist government, represented by its founding father – President Ho Chi Minh.

The left sculpture

The left sculpture shows the figure of Marianne seating on a podium. Her left hand is placed on a vase pouring water while her right hand holds a ship's rudder. She wears a laurel wreath on her head with some laurel decoration on the background. Below the figure is the wheat motif, a Caduceus, and a scythe.

The laurel wreath usually implies victory, while the Caduceus is Hermes's staff, often recalled as the symbol of commercial activity or negotiation. The appearance of the ship's rudder is believed to represent the strength of commerce and trading.

The middle sculpture

The middle sculpture features Marianne with two children and two lions. The child on the left holds a long staff pointing at the female figure, while the boy on the right is stepping between the two fierce lions. Marianne is most prominent with her taking-off-clothes posture, similar to the image of half-naked Marianne in the "Liberty Leading People" painting. Her position also suggests that they bravely lead each other out of danger and wilderness.

The theme of this sculpture could be liberty as the woman is trying to escape from the mess and wild, with her eye looking up, fulfilled with hope and prospect. Out of the three sculptures, this one is also the most active form of Marianne, as she does not rest but moves vividly.

The right sculpture

The right sculpture also shows Marianne resting position, building the counterpart to the left sculpture. However, she does not wear a laurel wreath like the left one but has a helmet and a Gallic rooster on her head. The Gallic Rooster is complementary to Marrianne. While Marianne represents the state and their values, Gallic Rooster is the symbol of France as a nation. The sculpture's left hand is placed on a pelta shield, while her right hand holds a sword and leans on a vase pouring water. Under her feet are different weapons and remnants of a battle. Unlike other sculptures that hardly depict the environment, this sculpture captures a strong wind blowing Marianne's hair.

With the appearance of weapons, a shield, a sword, and a helmet, this sculpture features military strength. The woman's posture of sitting on war remnants also symbolizes France's pride in past victories on the battlefields that have brought about the peace.

Saigon City Hall: Present and the Future

In 2018, the Department of Planning and Architecture proposed an extension plan to renovate the one-hundred-year-old City Hall. The detailed proposal includes a new larger block behind the original façade to cater to an increasing number of officials working in the building. According to a news outlet, the new block would have 6 floors with 4-story basement, running from Pasteur to Dong Khoi Street. However, until mid-2020, the plan has to be carried out, with no renovation work spotted in Nguyen Hue Boulevard yet. This proposal raises new questions about the place of a historical building in the modern context: How should a modern city handle a historical work still in use? Should we incorporate new changes into it without risking changing the original essence of history? Or should we leave it as it is as time has passed it on to us?

In November 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially declared the City Hall as a national heritage site. This proves the significance of the City Hall as a cultural construction while at the same time making it a fascinating study case of historical architecture still in use. The City Hall’s long political history, seen from its architectural design and documented in important events of Vietnam, are nowadays all considered a heritage.