- 01/08/2022
Both the Continental and Majestic are two of the oldest hotels in Saigon as well as two of the top 5 oldest hotels in Vietnam. Although appearing a little later, the Hotel Grand Saigon is also considered to be a historic hotel of the “Pearl of the Far East.”
After many ups and downs through its history, the dust of time has not settled on these fine hotels, but has, to the contrary, reflected the beauty of these three archetypal French-style buildings in Saigon. All three famous French-style hotels of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City are located on Dong Khoi Street at some of the most beautiful locations in the city. For many city residents and tourists, unknown secrets are still hidden inside of these three famously lavish hotels. As Marc Phillip Yablonka, an American war correspondent who worked in Saigon for many years during the Vietnam War, expressed, “If the Hotel Continental walls could speak, they would tell you a lot.” This sentence also holds true for Saigon’s two other oldest hotels.
Hotel Continental Saigon: Where Graham Greene wrote the novel “The Quiet American”
There has been no shortage of beautiful words used to describe the oldest luxury hotel in Saigon in particular and the whole southern region in general. Originally, this was the stopover destination for the French elite traveling to Indochina. During the 1960s and 1970s, its name once wore the color of knight-errant: “Mainland Inn” (Dai Luc Lu Quan). The hotel was built in 1878 and completed in 1880. This period also witnessed the appearance of many famous French architectural monuments in Saigon, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral (completed in 1880), Saigon Central Post Office (1886–1891) and Saigon City Hall (1898–1909), now the headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.
Located at a prime location in the city center, where Dong Khoi Street and Lam Son Square intersect, and despite its modest height with only one ground floor and three upper floors, the Hotel Continental Saigon is still a dominant figure with its graceful windows and pillars embossed in bold French architectural styles. The hotel was recognized as a Monument of Architectural Art of Ho Chi Minh City in 2012.
Hotel Continental Saigon has welcomed many politicians, artists, and celebrities from around the world. Among them, it is impossible not to mention the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore – 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature; French writer Andre Malraux; British writer Graham Greene – author of the famous novel “The Quiet American.” Famous politicians such as Jacques Chirac – former mayor of Paris and later President of France; Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed... each has been an honored guest of the Hotel Continental Saigon. Over the past 140 years, the architectural appearance of the Hotel Continental Saigon has remained intact. The structure and interior decoration all follow the standards of a luxury hotel in Paris in the late 19th century. The Hotel Continental Saigon continued to gain fame when it appeared in the main scenes of the movie “Indochina,” directed by Régis Wargnier and showcased around the world in 1992.
Majestic Saigon: The first 5-star hotel invested in and managed by the Vietnamese people
Built in 1925, this 95-year-old hotel was originally designed in a French architectural style, then renovated to fit a European Renaissance style. The interior and decorative elements inside of this hotel still retain the sumptuous and splendid features that were once considered the pride of the Saigon people. Located at the start of what was once Catinat Street, now Dong Khoi Street, with a scenic location overlooking the Saigon River, the hotel has hosted many important personalities such as the French President Francois Mitterrand; Fumihito, Prince Akishino, Crown Prince of Japan; Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark; Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Andrew Albert Christian Edward; Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong; Japanese novelist Kaiko Takeshi...
Majestic Saigon is also the first 5-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City that is invested in and managed by the Vietnamese people. The first owner of the hotel, Hui Bon Hoa, was the richest and most famous Vietnamese business man of Chinese origin at that time in Saigon - Gia Dinh, also known as Uncle Hoa. Another famous real estate monument in Saigon, associated with his name was once “Uncle Hoa’s Mansion,” now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts.
Hotel Grand Saigon: Worthy of the name “Grand Saigon”
Constructed in 1929 and completed in 1930, the Hotel Grand Saigon was built on the foundation of a small assembly hall on what was once Catinat Street, now Dong Khoi Street. Hotel Grand Saigon became a unit of the Saigon Tourism Corporation (Saigontourist Group) in 1994. With its elegant contours reminiscent of the French colonial style, in the 1930s, the Hotel Grand Saigon was nominated as a “first class choice” among hotels in Saigon. The Hotel Grand Saigon has 251 luxurious bedrooms with panoramic views of the Saigon River and Ho Chi Minh City from above.
The hotel still maintains a vintage elevator dating back to the 1930’s. Because it was installed on demand in the 1930s, the cage is small in size. The elevator can accommodate 3 guests without luggage, or 2 guests with luggage (calculated by Asian weight). The elevator is regularly maintained and only for guests staying in the Ancient Wing—the oldest area of the hotel.
Source: Saigontourist Group.