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.

Thanh Da Apartment Block in Saigon

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!

Cafe Apartment Block in Saigon

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

The post Saigon Old Apartments – The Secret of Saigon appeared first on Maze Vietnam.