Saigon Old Apartments – The Secret of Saigon
What seems like another rundown apartment can turn out to be a real charm that will keep you intrigued exploring all day. Inside the old, rusty, and so incredibly negligible-looking buildings is a smorgasbord of entertainment from cafés, fashion boutiques to shisha shops, and even magic stores.
The youth of Saigon has blown a new breath of life to the old apartment blocks by turning the once residential areas for the working class retirees into today’s hot spots amongst teenagers.
Saigon has the old apartment turned into meetup points or photo studios for studenInstagram, considering how aesthetically pleasing the decors of the shops are. Some take on a retro Indochine look, covering the room with old newspapers, radio sets, and typewriters; while others create a modern, minimalist atmosphere for their interiors. Each place is pretty in its own way.
A hallmark of these kinds of buildings are how lively they are. The neighborhoods feel real with local babies running about with their mothers, clothes filling up balconies, and vehicles – chiefly bicycles and motorbikes – parking along the hallway, things you can hardy find elsewhere.
It is, however, easy to understand why these buildings are not on the map or in the itinerary of most travel agencies. They are not exactly architectural masterpieces or historic landmarks, but they do ooze something uniquely Saigon, more precisely, the old Saigon that many still lament over with their timeless and heavily French-influenced walls and tiles. It is nice actually for these buildings to keep a low-profile so that they will be a cheeky little secret between the teens of Saigon, and of course, cool and hippie travelers like you are.
But what are secrets if not tragic.
In the near future, these buildings are to be demolished, razed to the ground, crushed to dust, 61 of them with their 7,200 households. Admittedly, some are barely habitable with their holes and molds and shaky staircases. Still, the fact remains that they bear in them stories, history, and the soul of Saigon, thus shall be expecting refurbishment efforts instead of death sentences and evacuation plans. The compensation offered is not even adequate for the local residents to comply, generating a lose-lose situation where no actions are taken and no lives are improved.
5 Best Cafe Apartment Blocks in Saigon – Saigon’s Hidden Gems
But the mass demolition day will come however long it might take. Until then, may we cherish these beautiful tragedies!
Some notable apartment blocks that you can pay a visit:
42 Nguyen Hue
14 Ton That Dam
26 Ly Tu Trong
To see more photos, check the open album below:
(Please use the left/right arrows to navigate in the files of the open album)
Words by Nhi Luong
Photos by Trieu Anh
Interesting. I personally would have a difficult time exploring a building like that. But I like the idea of the hidden treasures inside!
This brought back memories to when I lived in the Philippines and was going to college. I stay in a similar building like this.
It’s sad to hear that they will be demolishing the building but won’t take other actions to improve those people’s lives. I hope a good solution will happen somehow… thank you for sharing this. it’s important to know this injustice happens.
They looks so unique and beautiful despite how old they are. They have a story behind them and this is really their worth.
Oh how fun…it looks like you had a blast. This is definitely a place worth visiting.
Wow so interesting learning all the history about these old apartments. Thanks for sharing all this with us!
Looks like a beautiful amazing place to visit and u captured them so well!
How interesting to read and see the images, and what a detailed insight into the area x
A strong sense of nostalgia. Some remains, some going to be knocked down. Still being the icon of Saigon.
Old buildings are always such great photo spots! There’s an abandoned asylum near me that my sister has gone to take pictures at!
This is so interesting! Looks like it would definitely be a life changing experience to live there but love the though of it.
Whoa! This is impressive. I leaned back in my chair a bit and was just sitting here pondering everything you said. Really cool.
Hello. impressive job. I did not anticipate this. This is a impressive story. Thanks!
good stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your blog.
This local color is incredible. I love discovering areas like this when I travel!
My niece just vacationed in Saigon and she told me all about this. I think it was one of the highlights of her trip!
DEfinitely not a glossy tourist destination but it still speaks of the stories of locals who live in it which I think is a golden experience.
With thanks! Valuable information!