HCMC – The over-110-year-old City Hall, the office of the HCMC People’s Committee and People’s Council, will be opened to tourists during the forthcoming National Day holiday on September 1 and 2.
“The site will be open for public viewing during the upcoming holiday and subsequently on the last Saturday and Sunday of each month,” Dang Quoc Toan, head of the HCMC People’s Committee Office, said at a press conference on August 17.
Previously, the City Hall welcomed tourists for the first time on April 29 and 30, attracting nearly 1,500 domestic and foreign visitors.
Visitors are required to pre-register to secure a spot on the tour.
During the tour of the City Hall, visitors will have the opportunity to explore various sections of the building, including the main hall, the ground-floor international reception room, the second floor, meeting room No.5, and the balcony.
The sightseeing tours at the City Hall form part of the city’s initiatives to showcase its national heritage sites to the global audience and promote HCMC as a friendly and open metropolis.
The City Hall, located at 86 Le Thanh Ton in HCMC’s District 1, was designated a national architectural relic in 2010. Constructed in 1889 and finalized in 1909 by Architect Femand Gardès, it emulates the architectural style of bell towers in the northern regions of France.
During the French colonial time, the building was known as Hotel de Ville or Dinh Xa
Tay. After 1975, the location became the headquarters of the HCMC People’s
Committee.
Along with the Opera House and the Central Post Office, the City Hall stands as one of the few remaining French-built structures in HCMC.
