The 1832-1835 revolt is also known as the Le van Khoi rebellion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_V%C4%83n_Kh%C3%B4i_revolt. It should be noted that the original Phien An Citadel by de Puymanel and Lebrun was so well-built that Ming Mang’s troops, despite far greater in number and better armed than the rebels, could not breach its walls for more than 3 years. It was said that Ming Mang was so upset at the heavy loss of his forces that he ordered the execution of all captured rebels and the complete demolition of the fortress after its defenders surrendered. The fortress was never breached and little that the defenders knew that they would be all later executed by Minh Mang. 1,831 people were killed and buried in a place called Ma Nguy (Cemetery of the Puppets). During the construction of Saigon in late 1800’s, French engineers moved this cemetery to make room for the current Democratic Rounabout (Bùng binh dân chủ) which connects District 1, 3 and 10. On a side note, during the siege, Father Marchand had sent a messenger to Siam to request help but the Siamese naval relief column was intercepted and destroyed by general Truong Minh Giang (one of the most able generals of both Gia Long and Minh Mang) in now near the Mekong Delta city of Long Xuyen. The Siamese expedition army commanded General Bordindeja was also kept in check by general Truong Minh Giang in Svay Rieng, Cambodia and could not link up with the naval column on the Bassac river (Hau Giang) to sail to Saigon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPlyQcFAplU. General Bordindeja was so distraught at the complete loss of the Thai vessels and marines under his command that he vowed never to return to Bangkok to face King Rama III. The two generals would later face each other again in the Vietnamese-Siamese War from 1841 to 1845.
The “caserne de l’infanterie” was used to house soldiers and officers of the 11th Colonial Infantry Regiment (Fr. 11e régiment d’infanterie coloniale) guarding Saigon. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/11e_r%C3%A9giment_d%27infanterie_coloniale. This regiment was in turn divided into 2 battalions – one stationing in Saigon and the other in Thu Dau Mot (or Binh Duong) 30 km north of Saigon. It was this regiment that blew up the gate of Tien Tsin – the fortress guarding Beijing – during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1901 using French “Melinite” artillery shell, a 5.3 kilograms impact-detonated, thin-walled steel, high explosive type with a time-delay fuse. The fall of Tien Tsin enables the Allies to rush to Beijing and save the besieged westerners from being slaughtered by the Chinese Imperial Army. Saigonese abroad still affectionately refer to this regiment as Ông Dèm RIC (bastardized French for onzième or 11th, RIC is abbreviated for Régiment d’Infanterie Coloniale).
Luy Ban Bich was constructed by Vietnamese general Nguyen Cuu Dam. He served as Supreme Commander under the Nguyễn lords and had built the walls in 1772 to protect Saigon from the Siamese army during the Burmese-Siamese War. Led by an emboldened Taksin who had achieved many initial military successes against the Burmese, Phi Mai Kingdom, Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom and Phitsanulok Kingdom, the Siamese army attacked both Ha Tien and Phnom Penh by surprise and overcame the Vietnamese defense. Lord Nguyen Phuc Thuan ordered general Nguyen Cuu Dam to lead the recovery effort of lost territories. The general dealt a blow to the invading Siamese army and retook both cities. Five years after coming back from the Cambodian campaign, he ordered the construction of Luy Ban Bich connecting the Ben Nghe canal to the Thi Nghe canal, enclosing Saigon with 3 canals and a long wall to bolster its defense. He also built the Ruot Ngua canal or “Horse Entrails canal.” connecting the Tau Hu canal to the Can Giuoc River in District 6, making waterway transport possible between the Mekong Delta and Saigon. While Luy Ban Bich is no longer in existence, the Ruot Ngua canal can still be seen along the East-West Corridor from District 8 all the way to District 6.
Wonderful piece. I live in the Catinat building (now 26 Ly Tu Trong) just up the road from 213 Dong Khoi. The original sign is still there in the doorway, behind the current mess and a couple of plaques outside at 1st floor level give the 1927 date and the name of the French organization that built it. I once corresponded with an elderly Vietnamese gentleman, who now lives in the US, who had an apartment on the first floor. His wife who had an antique shop on the ground level with the wife of the US Ambassador. When April 30 1975 came, they walked out with a suitcase to the building next door, took the elevator to the roof and flew out from that famous platform, which is still there, ladder and all.
As you mention in your piece, the whole block is slated for demolition, by some Japanese conglomerate I’ve heard. Fortunately, it keeps getting postponed. Unfortunately, I’m getting kicked out as the owner wants the flat back. Nothing like the high ceilings and how the whole front opens up to Chi Lang park (although the new one cannot compare to the original).
Keep up the good work!
Tom Hricko
Thanks Tom, yours is another really interesting old building – during the early 1930s it was at least the third home of the American diplomatic mission in Saigon (after 4 Catinat/Đồng Khởi and 25 Taberd/Nguyễn Du) and I guess it was at that time that the Americans also acquired the next door building, no 22 – later the CIA station with the famous elevator shaft you refer too.
Thanks you your reply, Tim. What do you know about the huge VIlla on the corner of Vo Van Tan and Ba Huyen Thanh Quan? I lived near there in the early 90s and would eat at the restaurant in front just to look at the building. Looks like it is in reasonable repair except for the out-buildings (stables?). Would appreciate any info you have on it.
Thanks, Tom
Not as much as I would like!
It must have been built by someone quite wealthy but in the records I’ve found so far it doesn’t appear until 1941, when it’s listed as the residence of someone called Réxny Ryckewaert, a member of the Fédération française de basket-ball.
By 1945 it had become the HQ of the French Air Force Command in the Far East (Commandement de l’Air en Extrême-Orient, CAEO).
After the departure of the French it served briefly as the headquarters of the South Vietnamese Air Force until they relocated to Tân Sơn Nhất in 1957.
I will keep looking to see if I can find the original owner.
Great article! Would like to mention that the 1958 production of Greene’s novel has some fascinating on location shots at some of the sites you mention, like The Continental:
Thanks for that, I agree there are some great location shots in the 1958 movie, in fact I plan to do another piece soon about the locations used when they made the two Quiet American films and The Lover
Great! Looking forward to it- I just found out by going to a Sa Dec noodle shop newly opened on Vo Van Tan that the story of The Lover takes place in Sa Dec. I had seen the movie about 10 years ago but until I saw photos of the film on the wall at that restaurant and started asking questions, I hadn’t made the connection, as I now have family connections there.
The 1948 film Saigon with Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd is also of interest, though it’s certainly entirely studio-shot. Still- the simulations from that time period are fascinating to watch.
I believe that the “new” MACV on Pasteur you mention was actually accessed through a hem off of Pasteur or NKKN. 15 years ago, a friend lived in an old structure on Le Loi which was accessed through one of these hems. A MACV sign was still there at this time, maybe 1995 or 1996. I’ll have a look next week when I get back from Phnom Penh to see if the sign is still there, which I rather doubt.
Keep up the great research, well done!
Not long after the Noyce film was made, I met a Vietnamese teacher who had worked on the film. He told me that For Pyle’s murder scene there had been a Saigon site, a warehouse on the Cholon waterfront, but the owner had suddenly demanded a ridiculously high charge for the site so Hoi An was used.
Thanks for that, have always liked that bldg but have never been inside. There is an interesting entrance in the rear, nice doors and what looks like a cool stairway. Amazing too that descendants of the original owner still occupy the top floor. Do they still own the building? The land must be worth a fortune.
Thanks for the work.
Thanks so much for making this history accessible. My family lived on Rue Catinat 1955-56, yet I had not learned about Mme. Souchere until reading your article. Very interesting and much appreciated.
Thanks Michael with the current redevelopment plans it looks like the upper section of the street will look quite different in a few years time. Great if you are a fan of tower blocks with glass curtain walls…
Thank you for a very nicely written and informative post. I have always wanted to find out which street was used for the exterior shots outside the Chinaman’s apartment. Totally agreed that Lê Hồng Phong (Pétrus Ký) was the school in the movie, not Lê Quý Đôn High School. The shots where Jane March ran into school made it pretty obvious. I picked it up right away but many movie critics have said otherwise. Thanks for the clarification!
The statue of my great grand father Petrus Ky (the last picture) was not in the courtyard of the Petrus Ky highschool but was raised at the place on the back of the cathedral.
I can send a picture for your excellent website at your convenience
Best regards
Many thanks for this information, I did wonder whether the statue came from the park behind the cathedral but the museum staff were adamant that it was the one from the school. However I’m sure you are better informed so I will amend it in the article.
Yes please if you have a picture I’d be keen to publish it.
I Will send to you one of these pictures but you have posted one above with this comment “In 1925, a statue of Ký was erected in the gardens behind the Notre Dame Cathedral (this was removed in 1975)…”
This statue is now in the Fine Art Musuem near the Ben Thanh Market.
Dear Mr. Doling,
My brother Richard Truong vinh Tong sent me the link to your website and I read some of your very insightful articles, as well as the one on our great grand father Petrus Ky.
I wrote a thesis for a Library Science Master degree at CUNY (City University of NY, Queens College), in 1995 “Petrus JB Truong vinh Ky and the Dissemination of Quoc Ngu: An annotated Bibliography of works by and about a Vietnamese scholar.” At that time I mainly did my research in the US, France and Canada.
Later, when I visited VN, I was able to search in VN libraries and from there, I’m trying to follow-up.
I’m living now in Bangkok, Thailand, where my husband and I retired, and we’re travelling quite often to VN. I’d very much like to touch base with you next time when we’ll be there. In the mean time, I’d very much like to be informed when you book on HCM tour will be available at bookstores. I made note that your book on the railways is available here at White Lotus.
Best regards.
Ben Dong Xo – Loc Ninh line was opened on 1/12/1933 not 1933 as you stated above (see Procès Verbaux du Conseil Colonial, Session ordinaire de 1933, Cinquième Séance du 11 Octobre 1933, page 190, Tome I; S.I.L.I. (C. Ardin), Saigon, 1934).
In my book I quote these references which suggest that it was continuously delayed by construction errors and did not actually open to traffic until August 1933: Gouvernement général de l’Indo-Chine, Rapports au Grand conseil des intérêts économiques et financiers et au Conseil du gouvernement (Hanoï: Imprimerie d’Extrême-Orient, 1930), pp. 657–658; 1932, p.750; 1934, p. 268.
Thanks Michel, the saga of my book goes on, although they sent me copies several weeks ago they still aren’t in the shops. I’ll post something when they are.
Your article mentions that the construction of GMC was started in 1922 and not until 1924 was the building inaugurated. This is intriguing as many believe this building dates back to as far as 1880. Would you care to elucidate this notion?
Hi, thanks for your query.
There are references to this in various French sources, eg: 1. 1922 Tonkin pittoresque. Souvenirs et impressions de voyage. 1921-1922
“Cet ouvrage a été écrit en 1922 avant l’ ouverture a Saigon des Grands Magasins Charner” 2. 1925 Les Potins de Paris (Paris. 1918) 1925/06/14 (A8,N2131)
UNION COMMERCIALE INDOCHINOISE ET AFRICAINE: “Le fonds du portefeuille de la Société est constitue par une large proportion du capital de la Société Coloniale des Grands Magasins. Il était donc intéressant pour les actionnaires de l’U.C. I.A. de savoir que cette affaire se développe dans des conditions satisfaisantes. Le Grand Magasin, dont la construction était entreprise depuis deux ans et demi à Saigon, a été inauguré fin novembre dernier [ie Nov 1924] en plein succès.” 3. 1924 L’Écho annamite, 27 novembre 1924
“Inauguration des Grands Magasins Charner: Hier, à la tombée de la nuit, une foule immense se pressait autour des élégants Magasins Charner, rutilants de lumière et dont l’imposante architecture trône dans ce coin select de Saïgon-la-Perle comme un coin de la ville Lumière surgi du sol sous l’effet d’un coup de baguette magique de cette fée française: la Société coloniale des Grands Magasins.” You can read the rest here http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7554142x/f1.image.r=%22Inauguration%20des%20Grands%20Magasins%20Charner%22.langFR
However this in no way diminishes the heritage value of this building.
The 1832-1835 revolt is also known as the Le van Khoi rebellion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_V%C4%83n_Kh%C3%B4i_revolt. It should be noted that the original Phien An Citadel by de Puymanel and Lebrun was so well-built that Ming Mang’s troops, despite far greater in number and better armed than the rebels, could not breach its walls for more than 3 years. It was said that Ming Mang was so upset at the heavy loss of his forces that he ordered the execution of all captured rebels and the complete demolition of the fortress after its defenders surrendered. The fortress was never breached and little that the defenders knew that they would be all later executed by Minh Mang. 1,831 people were killed and buried in a place called Ma Nguy (Cemetery of the Puppets). During the construction of Saigon in late 1800’s, French engineers moved this cemetery to make room for the current Democratic Rounabout (Bùng binh dân chủ) which connects District 1, 3 and 10. On a side note, during the siege, Father Marchand had sent a messenger to Siam to request help but the Siamese naval relief column was intercepted and destroyed by general Truong Minh Giang (one of the most able generals of both Gia Long and Minh Mang) in now near the Mekong Delta city of Long Xuyen. The Siamese expedition army commanded General Bordindeja was also kept in check by general Truong Minh Giang in Svay Rieng, Cambodia and could not link up with the naval column on the Bassac river (Hau Giang) to sail to Saigon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPlyQcFAplU. General Bordindeja was so distraught at the complete loss of the Thai vessels and marines under his command that he vowed never to return to Bangkok to face King Rama III. The two generals would later face each other again in the Vietnamese-Siamese War from 1841 to 1845.
The “caserne de l’infanterie” was used to house soldiers and officers of the 11th Colonial Infantry Regiment (Fr. 11e régiment d’infanterie coloniale) guarding Saigon. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/11e_r%C3%A9giment_d%27infanterie_coloniale. This regiment was in turn divided into 2 battalions – one stationing in Saigon and the other in Thu Dau Mot (or Binh Duong) 30 km north of Saigon. It was this regiment that blew up the gate of Tien Tsin – the fortress guarding Beijing – during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1901 using French “Melinite” artillery shell, a 5.3 kilograms impact-detonated, thin-walled steel, high explosive type with a time-delay fuse. The fall of Tien Tsin enables the Allies to rush to Beijing and save the besieged westerners from being slaughtered by the Chinese Imperial Army. Saigonese abroad still affectionately refer to this regiment as Ông Dèm RIC (bastardized French for onzième or 11th, RIC is abbreviated for Régiment d’Infanterie Coloniale).
Luy Ban Bich was constructed by Vietnamese general Nguyen Cuu Dam. He served as Supreme Commander under the Nguyễn lords and had built the walls in 1772 to protect Saigon from the Siamese army during the Burmese-Siamese War. Led by an emboldened Taksin who had achieved many initial military successes against the Burmese, Phi Mai Kingdom, Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom and Phitsanulok Kingdom, the Siamese army attacked both Ha Tien and Phnom Penh by surprise and overcame the Vietnamese defense. Lord Nguyen Phuc Thuan ordered general Nguyen Cuu Dam to lead the recovery effort of lost territories. The general dealt a blow to the invading Siamese army and retook both cities. Five years after coming back from the Cambodian campaign, he ordered the construction of Luy Ban Bich connecting the Ben Nghe canal to the Thi Nghe canal, enclosing Saigon with 3 canals and a long wall to bolster its defense. He also built the Ruot Ngua canal or “Horse Entrails canal.” connecting the Tau Hu canal to the Can Giuoc River in District 6, making waterway transport possible between the Mekong Delta and Saigon. While Luy Ban Bich is no longer in existence, the Ruot Ngua canal can still be seen along the East-West Corridor from District 8 all the way to District 6.
The Siamese-Burmese War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese%E2%80%93Siamese_War_%281765%E2%80%9367%29
There is a street named after the general in Tan Phu District, near the airport, connecting Tan Son Nhi boulevard to Nguyen Quy Anh street.
Wonderful piece. I live in the Catinat building (now 26 Ly Tu Trong) just up the road from 213 Dong Khoi. The original sign is still there in the doorway, behind the current mess and a couple of plaques outside at 1st floor level give the 1927 date and the name of the French organization that built it. I once corresponded with an elderly Vietnamese gentleman, who now lives in the US, who had an apartment on the first floor. His wife who had an antique shop on the ground level with the wife of the US Ambassador. When April 30 1975 came, they walked out with a suitcase to the building next door, took the elevator to the roof and flew out from that famous platform, which is still there, ladder and all.
As you mention in your piece, the whole block is slated for demolition, by some Japanese conglomerate I’ve heard. Fortunately, it keeps getting postponed. Unfortunately, I’m getting kicked out as the owner wants the flat back. Nothing like the high ceilings and how the whole front opens up to Chi Lang park (although the new one cannot compare to the original).
Keep up the good work!
Tom Hricko
Thanks Tom, yours is another really interesting old building – during the early 1930s it was at least the third home of the American diplomatic mission in Saigon (after 4 Catinat/Đồng Khởi and 25 Taberd/Nguyễn Du) and I guess it was at that time that the Americans also acquired the next door building, no 22 – later the CIA station with the famous elevator shaft you refer too.
Thanks you your reply, Tim. What do you know about the huge VIlla on the corner of Vo Van Tan and Ba Huyen Thanh Quan? I lived near there in the early 90s and would eat at the restaurant in front just to look at the building. Looks like it is in reasonable repair except for the out-buildings (stables?). Would appreciate any info you have on it.
Thanks, Tom
Not as much as I would like!
It must have been built by someone quite wealthy but in the records I’ve found so far it doesn’t appear until 1941, when it’s listed as the residence of someone called Réxny Ryckewaert, a member of the Fédération française de basket-ball.
By 1945 it had become the HQ of the French Air Force Command in the Far East (Commandement de l’Air en Extrême-Orient, CAEO).
After the departure of the French it served briefly as the headquarters of the South Vietnamese Air Force until they relocated to Tân Sơn Nhất in 1957.
I will keep looking to see if I can find the original owner.
Great article! Would like to mention that the 1958 production of Greene’s novel has some fascinating on location shots at some of the sites you mention, like The Continental:
http://youtu.be/upRkdcuuLHo
Thanks for that, I agree there are some great location shots in the 1958 movie, in fact I plan to do another piece soon about the locations used when they made the two Quiet American films and The Lover
Great! Looking forward to it- I just found out by going to a Sa Dec noodle shop newly opened on Vo Van Tan that the story of The Lover takes place in Sa Dec. I had seen the movie about 10 years ago but until I saw photos of the film on the wall at that restaurant and started asking questions, I hadn’t made the connection, as I now have family connections there.
The 1948 film Saigon with Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd is also of interest, though it’s certainly entirely studio-shot. Still- the simulations from that time period are fascinating to watch.
I believe that the “new” MACV on Pasteur you mention was actually accessed through a hem off of Pasteur or NKKN. 15 years ago, a friend lived in an old structure on Le Loi which was accessed through one of these hems. A MACV sign was still there at this time, maybe 1995 or 1996. I’ll have a look next week when I get back from Phnom Penh to see if the sign is still there, which I rather doubt.
Keep up the great research, well done!
That’s interesting, I had no idea MACV had an office off Lê Lợi street.
Great stuff, Tim!
Thanks Tim, another one on the list to check out!
Not long after the Noyce film was made, I met a Vietnamese teacher who had worked on the film. He told me that For Pyle’s murder scene there had been a Saigon site, a warehouse on the Cholon waterfront, but the owner had suddenly demanded a ridiculously high charge for the site so Hoi An was used.
Thanks for that, have always liked that bldg but have never been inside. There is an interesting entrance in the rear, nice doors and what looks like a cool stairway. Amazing too that descendants of the original owner still occupy the top floor. Do they still own the building? The land must be worth a fortune.
Thanks for the work.
Hello, Tim–
Thanks so much for making this history accessible. My family lived on Rue Catinat 1955-56, yet I had not learned about Mme. Souchere until reading your article. Very interesting and much appreciated.
Thanks Michael with the current redevelopment plans it looks like the upper section of the street will look quite different in a few years time. Great if you are a fan of tower blocks with glass curtain walls…
Thank you for a very nicely written and informative post. I have always wanted to find out which street was used for the exterior shots outside the Chinaman’s apartment. Totally agreed that Lê Hồng Phong (Pétrus Ký) was the school in the movie, not Lê Quý Đôn High School. The shots where Jane March ran into school made it pretty obvious. I picked it up right away but many movie critics have said otherwise. Thanks for the clarification!
Dear Mr Doling,
The statue of my great grand father Petrus Ky (the last picture) was not in the courtyard of the Petrus Ky highschool but was raised at the place on the back of the cathedral.
I can send a picture for your excellent website at your convenience
Best regards
Richard Truong Vinh Tong
Many thanks for this information, I did wonder whether the statue came from the park behind the cathedral but the museum staff were adamant that it was the one from the school. However I’m sure you are better informed so I will amend it in the article.
Yes please if you have a picture I’d be keen to publish it.
I Will send to you one of these pictures but you have posted one above with this comment “In 1925, a statue of Ký was erected in the gardens behind the Notre Dame Cathedral (this was removed in 1975)…”
This statue is now in the Fine Art Musuem near the Ben Thanh Market.
Thanks, yes I explained this under the final picture of the statue which I took in the museum courtyard and I’ve now also added something to the text.
Dear Mr. Doling,
My brother Richard Truong vinh Tong sent me the link to your website and I read some of your very insightful articles, as well as the one on our great grand father Petrus Ky.
I wrote a thesis for a Library Science Master degree at CUNY (City University of NY, Queens College), in 1995 “Petrus JB Truong vinh Ky and the Dissemination of Quoc Ngu: An annotated Bibliography of works by and about a Vietnamese scholar.” At that time I mainly did my research in the US, France and Canada.
Later, when I visited VN, I was able to search in VN libraries and from there, I’m trying to follow-up.
I’m living now in Bangkok, Thailand, where my husband and I retired, and we’re travelling quite often to VN. I’d very much like to touch base with you next time when we’ll be there. In the mean time, I’d very much like to be informed when you book on HCM tour will be available at bookstores. I made note that your book on the railways is available here at White Lotus.
Best regards.
Ben Dong Xo – Loc Ninh line was opened on 1/12/1933 not 1933 as you stated above (see Procès Verbaux du Conseil Colonial, Session ordinaire de 1933, Cinquième Séance du 11 Octobre 1933, page 190, Tome I; S.I.L.I. (C. Ardin), Saigon, 1934).
Sorry, 1/12/1932 due to typing error.
In my book I quote these references which suggest that it was continuously delayed by construction errors and did not actually open to traffic until August 1933: Gouvernement général de l’Indo-Chine, Rapports au Grand conseil des intérêts économiques et financiers et au Conseil du gouvernement (Hanoï: Imprimerie d’Extrême-Orient, 1930), pp. 657–658; 1932, p.750; 1934, p. 268.
Very interesting articles. Please let me know once your new book is published.
Thx.
Thanks Michel, the saga of my book goes on, although they sent me copies several weeks ago they still aren’t in the shops. I’ll post something when they are.
Dear Mr. Doling:
Your article mentions that the construction of GMC was started in 1922 and not until 1924 was the building inaugurated. This is intriguing as many believe this building dates back to as far as 1880. Would you care to elucidate this notion?
Thank you and regards,
Daniel Vu
Hi, thanks for your query.
There are references to this in various French sources, eg:
1. 1922 Tonkin pittoresque. Souvenirs et impressions de voyage. 1921-1922
“Cet ouvrage a été écrit en 1922 avant l’ ouverture a Saigon des Grands Magasins Charner”
2. 1925 Les Potins de Paris (Paris. 1918) 1925/06/14 (A8,N2131)
UNION COMMERCIALE INDOCHINOISE ET AFRICAINE: “Le fonds du portefeuille de la Société est constitue par une large proportion du capital de la Société Coloniale des Grands Magasins. Il était donc intéressant pour les actionnaires de l’U.C. I.A. de savoir que cette affaire se développe dans des conditions satisfaisantes. Le Grand Magasin, dont la construction était entreprise depuis deux ans et demi à Saigon, a été inauguré fin novembre dernier [ie Nov 1924] en plein succès.”
3. 1924 L’Écho annamite, 27 novembre 1924
“Inauguration des Grands Magasins Charner: Hier, à la tombée de la nuit, une foule immense se pressait autour des élégants Magasins Charner, rutilants de lumière et dont l’imposante architecture trône dans ce coin select de Saïgon-la-Perle comme un coin de la ville Lumière surgi du sol sous l’effet d’un coup de baguette magique de cette fée française: la Société coloniale des Grands Magasins.” You can read the rest here http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7554142x/f1.image.r=%22Inauguration%20des%20Grands%20Magasins%20Charner%22.langFR
However this in no way diminishes the heritage value of this building.
Beautiful edifice. I need to visit one day. Thank you Tim.
Where did the remains of Diem and Nhu eventually go? Very curious…
I was told they were reburied in a cemetery in Lai Thieu, must go out there and have a look sometime