HCMC – The 110-plus-year-old City Hall, the office of the HCMC People’s Committee, will be opened to tourists for the first time during the upcoming holidays on April 30 and May 1.
Visitors are required to register between April 22 and 26 with the HCMC Tourism Department to secure a slot on the tour. The city will also send invitations to certain individuals.
The tours will take place on April 29 and 30, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Each tour is expected to last an hour.
During the tour of the City Hall, visitors will be able to see several parts of the building, including the main hall, the international reception room on the ground floor, the second floor, meeting room No.5, and the balcony.
Visitors will have 35 minutes to explore the interior of the building while listening to the tour guide about the building’s history, development, architectural highlights, artistic design and the functions of each room, as well as watching a short video about this artistic relic and its role in the economic and social development of HCMC.
The tours of the City Hall have been planned since 2017 and are aimed at promoting the city’s national heritage sites to the world and projecting an image of openness and friendliness.
This national relic was built in 1889 and completed in 1909 by Architect Femand Gardès, imitating the style of bell towers in the northern region of France. The sculptor, Louis-Lucien Ruffier, was responsible for the exterior decoration.
During the French colonial time, the building was known as Hotel de Ville or Dinh Xa Tay. During the period of the Republic of Vietnam, it was named Saigon City Hall. After 1975, the location became the office of the HCMC People’s Committee.
