May 2026
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳: GOLD
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 STREET ART: ART IS NOT A CRIME
8may26
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳: MAKES YOU WANT THINGS YOU FORGOT YOU NEEDED
“Saigon makes you want things you forgot you needed.”
“Saigon is a woman who changes her dress but never her habits.”
“The war was over and there was no place in particular to go.”
May 2026
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 ARCHITECTURAL STORIES
Saigon cosplaying modernism. Surely some kind of government building.
Ngân hàng Nhà nước Việt Nam – Chi nhánh TP.HCM
📍 Address: 8 Võ Văn Kiệt, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City branch of Vietnam’s central bank (the equivalent of:
- the Federal Reserve in the U.S.
dates back to the late French colonial period, most likely the 1930s.
Original era (French Indochina – ~1930s)
The structure was built during the colonial period as part of the financial administration network tied to Banque de l’Indochine.
That bank wasn’t just any bank—it effectively acted as:
- the central bank of French Indochina
possibly originally built for civil servants, workers, or urban middle-class residents during the late South Vietnam era
Classic modern Saigon development:
steel-and-glass office tower
wrapped in neo-classical styling
Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange — usually called HOSE.
Vietnam’s main stock exchange:
- the financial heart of the country’s stock market
- where many of Vietnam’s largest companies are listed
- effectively the Vietnamese equivalent of:
- the NYSE in New York
- or the London Stock Exchange
Tube Houses and Shophouses
Historically, because buildings were taxed according to street frontage rather than total area, many shophouses are long and narrow in shape, similar to the vernacular “tube house.”
6may26
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 STREET ART: HELLO MY NAME…
6may26
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳: Phụng Sơn Tự (Phung Son Pagoda) / “Gò Pagoda
The pagoda was built by a monk named Lieu Thong between 1802 and 1820. Archaeological excavations have revealed that structures from the Funan civilization existed at the site long before the temple was built.
The pagoda has been renovated twice: once between 1904 and 1915 by a monk named Tue Minh, and again in 1960. It was recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Monument in 1988.
The pagoda honors the God of Happiness and Virtue and features a jade green roof with dragon statues, red brick walls, and an interior corridor decorated with wood carvings.
The pagoda honors the God of Happiness and Virtue and features a jade green roof with dragon statues, red brick walls, and an interior corridor decorated with wood carvings.
6may26
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳: CATS, EVERYTHING IS, JUST AS IT IS
Vietnamese cats are mostly lean, short-haired, and look like they’ve seen things. They’re not the fluffy pampered indoor cats of Western Instagram. They’re street cats and shop cats and alley cats and temple cats. They eat rice and fish scraps and whatever falls off the table and they do fine. They’ve been doing fine for centuries.
In Vietnamese culture, cats are considered lucky. Mèo (cat) sounds like a word associated with prosperity in some dialects. In the Vietnamese zodiac, the Cat replaces the Rabbit (which is used in the Chinese zodiac). So while the rest of Asia had the Year of the Rabbit, Vietnam had the Year of the Cat. This makes Vietnam one of the only cultures in the world that gives the cat its own zodiac year. The most recent one was 2023.
“Having a bunch of cats around is good. If you’re feeling bad, just look at the cats, you’ll feel better, because they know that everything is, just as it is.”
5may26
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 STREET ART: MIRROR
May 2026
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 STREET ART: VOLUNTEER SPRING
Central Section (Yellow Text)
• CÔNG TRÌNH THANH NIÊN: Youth Project.
• CHÀO MỪNG ĐẠI HỘI ĐẠI BIỂU LIÊN HIỆP THANH NIÊN VIỆT NAM P. NGUYỄN CƯ TRINH: Welcoming the Delegate Congress of the Vietnam Youth Federation of Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward.
• NHIỆM KỲ 2024 – 2029: Term 2024 – 2029.
Right Section (Orange/Yellow Text)
• XUÂN TÌNH NGUYỆN: Volunteer Spring.
Contextual Details
The mural illustrates various community service and environmental themes:
• Environmental Action: The right side depicts youth planting a tree, accompanied by a map of Vietnam.
• Waste Management: The background section to the left shows figures sorting waste into green, yellow, and blue bins, similar to standard recycling initiatives in the city.
• Organization: The project is attributed to the Vietnam Youth Federation (the logo with the bird and V-shape is visible above the central text) in Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, which is a neighborhood in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
2may26
SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 STREET ART: TAKING ACTION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The Main Mural Slogan (Right Side)
• NHÂN DÂN VÀ HỘI VIÊN PHỤ NỮ KHU PHỐ 3 HÀNH ĐỘNG VÌ MÔI TRƯỜNG: The people and members of the Women’s Union of Neighborhood 3 take action for the environment.
• XANH – SẠCH – ĐẸP: Green – Clean – Beautiful.
The Trash Bins (Lower Right)
The bins are labeled to encourage waste sorting:
• RÁC HỮU CƠ: Organic Waste (Green bin).
• RÁC VÔ CƠ: Inorganic Waste (Orange/Red bin).
• RÁC TÁI CHẾ: Recyclable Waste (Blue bin).
2may2026