Facts of Dong Khoi Street
Dublin Core
Title
Facts of Dong Khoi Street
Description
Being the oldest street in Saigon, Dong Khoi Street has existed for many decades. Below are three facts collected by the author (including from official sources and personal experiences as a local resident).
1. One street, many names
The name of the street has been changed three times, which was firstly known as “No.16”, “Catinat” in the French colonial period; “Tự Do” (Liberty) in the Republic of Vietnam period, and finally “Đồng khởi” (Mass Uprising) after the Vietnam reunification time (Nguyen and Son 2016).
Moreover, in the colonial period, besides the popular given name "Catinat", the street was once known as "Saigon's Canebière", after the main street in Marseille (France) as it has many shopping places (Nguyen and Son 2016).
2. A street with collective memories
Many buildings standing on the street have their own long story. For instance, let's have a short visit to the history Saigon Opera House located in the middle of the street. That is, it was initially constructed to entertain French soldiers but it was later used as a National Assembly House of the Republic of Vietnam or the House of Culture (Han Do 2022).
3. [From personal observation] Two "survival" rules of the street:
Initially, the address number is ruled in ascending order. The even number is to the right of you, and the odd number is to the left. Secondly, the smallest ordinal address number starts at the riverside (Saigon River) and gradually increases to the plain area (Look at the red arrow in the Figure).
For example, if visitors walk down Dong Khoi Street, they should be aware that the Majestic Hotel on the left side, is addressed in the first number of the street; while on the right site it is the second number, which is now the Runam Bistro. Furthermore, the address number will be increased up to the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is the street's ending.
References:
Cherry, Haydon. 2019. "PAULATIM CRESCAM". In Down and Out in Saigon: Stories of the Poor in a Colonial City, 8–31. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Nhung Nguyen & Trung Son. 2016. "Then and Now: A Touch of French Class Down Saigon Street". Last modified August 3, 2016 (1 June 2022)
Do Thi Minh Han. 2022. "History of Saigon Opera House". Last modified May 29, 2022 (2 June 2022).
1. One street, many names
The name of the street has been changed three times, which was firstly known as “No.16”, “Catinat” in the French colonial period; “Tự Do” (Liberty) in the Republic of Vietnam period, and finally “Đồng khởi” (Mass Uprising) after the Vietnam reunification time (Nguyen and Son 2016).
Moreover, in the colonial period, besides the popular given name "Catinat", the street was once known as "Saigon's Canebière", after the main street in Marseille (France) as it has many shopping places (Nguyen and Son 2016).
2. A street with collective memories
Many buildings standing on the street have their own long story. For instance, let's have a short visit to the history Saigon Opera House located in the middle of the street. That is, it was initially constructed to entertain French soldiers but it was later used as a National Assembly House of the Republic of Vietnam or the House of Culture (Han Do 2022).
3. [From personal observation] Two "survival" rules of the street:
Initially, the address number is ruled in ascending order. The even number is to the right of you, and the odd number is to the left. Secondly, the smallest ordinal address number starts at the riverside (Saigon River) and gradually increases to the plain area (Look at the red arrow in the Figure).
For example, if visitors walk down Dong Khoi Street, they should be aware that the Majestic Hotel on the left side, is addressed in the first number of the street; while on the right site it is the second number, which is now the Runam Bistro. Furthermore, the address number will be increased up to the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is the street's ending.
References:
Cherry, Haydon. 2019. "PAULATIM CRESCAM". In Down and Out in Saigon: Stories of the Poor in a Colonial City, 8–31. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Nhung Nguyen & Trung Son. 2016. "Then and Now: A Touch of French Class Down Saigon Street". Last modified August 3, 2016 (1 June 2022)
Do Thi Minh Han. 2022. "History of Saigon Opera House". Last modified May 29, 2022 (2 June 2022).
Creator
Khâu Thanh Lâm
Citation
Khâu Thanh Lâm, “Facts of Dong Khoi Street,” Augustus in Saigon!?, accessed May 11, 2024, https://augustusinsaigon.uni-trier.de/items/show/357.