Đồng Khởi Street

Đồng Khởi Street

Đồng Khởi Street in 2014 at Lam Sơn Square with Union Square Saigon on the left and Hotel Continental Saigon on the right
Interactive map of Đồng Khởi Street
Native name	Đường Đồng Khởi (Vietnamese)
Former names	Rue Catinat (French Indochina) Tự Do Street (Republic of Vietnam)
Namesake	Đồng Khởi Movement
Owner	Ho Chi Minh City
Length	670 m (2,200 ft)
Location	Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City
Nearest metro station	1  Opera House station
Coordinates	10°46′35″N 106°42′10″E / 10.7764°N 106.7028°E / 10.7764; 106.7028
Northwest end	Paris Commune Square, Nguyễn Du Street
Major junctions	Lý Tự Trọng Street Lê Thánh Tôn Street Lam Sơn Square – Lê Lợi Boulevard Mạc Thị Bưởi Street Ngô Đức Kế Street
Southeast end	Bạch Đằng Quay, Tôn Đức Thắng Boulevard
Other
Known for	The most expensive shopping street in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam

Đồng Khởi Street (Vietnamese: Đường Đồng Khởi), formerly known as Rue Catinat then Tự Do Street, is a street in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The street stretches from Nguyễn Du Street at Paris Commune Square, to Tôn Đức Thắng Boulevard and Bạch Đằng Quay, Saigon River waterfront. It has been known as one of the busiest shopping street for centuries in the city.

History

The street was initially called as Rue N⁰6 when the French colonial empire takeover Saigon, then named after the French cruiser Catinat that participated in the 1865, attacks by France when that country was intent on seizing control of Viet Nam. The ship itself honored Nicolas Catinat, a 17th- and 18th-century Marshal of France; but application of name to prominent street was intended to remind strollers of the first step toward control of a vanquished nation by a colonial power before its present incarnation as Đồng Khởi visitors to Saigon will remember Tự Do Street, as it was called by the Vietnamese after the French departed.

Buildings

Đồng Khởi Street is the location of numerous famous buildings from colonial to modern period, list of some notable buildings:

Panorama with some notable buildings on Đồng Khởi Street featured

Address	Name	Image	Cross-street	Notes and notable tenants
No.1 Đồng Khởi	Hotel Majestic Saigon		2–4–6 Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard	Built in 1925, with a central courtyard and a roof bar name M Bar.
2–4–6 Đồng Khởi	Seaprodex Building		Tôn Đức Thắng Boulevard	Previously the place of Café de la Rotonde
No.8 Đồng Khởi	Hotel Grand Saigon		15 Hồ Huấn Nghiệp Street – 16 Ngô Đức Kế (formerly the Palace Hotel)	Also known as Grand Hotel, Khách sạn Đồng Khởi; formerly known as Saigon Palace. Longines Flagship Boutique & Service Centre located here
57–69F Đồng Khởi	Saigon Times Square		22–36 Nguyễn Huệ Blvd	The Reverie Saigon Hotel, The Hour Glass, Deloitte
58–60–62–64 Đồng Khởi	Satra Building		51–53–55–57–59 Mạc Thị Bưởi	Lacoste. Also known as Satra Đồng Khởi
66-68-70 Đồng Khởi	Hương Sen Hotel		62 Mạc Thị Bưởi	Originally the building of L'Impartial Press in 1920 then changed into Astor Hotel in 1970 and renamed as Hương Sen Hotel after 1975
80 Đồng Khởi				Trung Nguyên Legend Café
88 Đồng Khởi	Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel		80 Đông Du	Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam [vi], PepsiCo, Gucci, Bang & Olufsen, Boss, Rolex,
93–95–97 Đồng Khởi				Việt Nam House Restaurant
109–111–113 Đồng Khởi	Catina Saigon Hotel
115–117–119–121–123 Đồng Khởi	Bông Sen Hotel Saigon
130 Đồng Khởi	Caravelle Hotel		19–21–23 Lam Sơn Square	Air France, Vertu. It was named after the Sud Aviation Caravelle
No. 7 Lam Sơn Square	Saigon Opera House		Lê Lợi – Hai Bà Trưng
132–134 Đồng Khởi	Hotel Continental Saigon		Lam Sơn Square	Blancpain, Breguet, Saint Laurent, Tam Sơn Living
135–149 Đồng Khởi			2 Nguyễn Thiệp	Eximbank Authorized Bureau No.59B, Jacob & Co HCMC Boutique
151–159 Đồng Khởi	151 Đồng Khởi Apartment			Art Arcade – An Fine Art Gallery, OKKIO Caffe – Tự Do
146–148–150 Đồng Khởi	Oriental Diamond Complex Hotel			Previously was Asian Hotel
136–144 & 152–154 Đồng Khởi	Saigontourist Plaza		35Bis–45 Lê Thánh Tôn	Uniqlo, Muji, ABC-Mart. Formerly known as Parkson Saigontourist Plaza
161 Đồng Khởi	Opera View Building by Artex Saigon		15 Lê Lợi Blvd	Louis Vuitton, Franck Muller
171 Đồng Khởi	Union Square Saigon		53 Lê Thánh Tôn Street – 6A Lê Lợi Boulevard – 116 Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard	Starbucks, Bulgari, Dior, Fendi, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Saigon. Originally was Café de la Musique and the Grand Hôtel des Nations then Les Magasins Liên-Seng, Passage Eden
156 Đồng Khởi	Chi Lăng Park & Vincom Center Đồng Khởi		72 Lê Thánh Tôn & 45–45A Lý Tự Trọng	Eximbank, Maybank Kim Eng, H&M, Uniqlo, CJ CGV, Haidilao, MLB, Sony
158 Đồng Khởi	26 Lý Tự Trọng Apartment		26 Lý Tự Trọng	Katinat Saigon Kafe, The New Playground
164 Đồng Khởi	Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports			Original place of Catinat Police Station (Bot Catinat)
213 Đồng Khởi	Ho Chi Minh City Hall		86 Lê Thánh Tôn & 59–61 Lý Tự Trọng	The building on Đồng Khởi Street was the Cochinchina Governor's Private Secretary's Office and was demolished in 2014 to extend the current City Hall
227 Đồng Khởi	Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Protection Department		28 Lý Tự Trọng
235 Đồng Khởi	The Metropolitan Tower			HSBC Vietnam Headquarters, QBE Insurance, Vietcombank, Mead Johnson, Tetra Pak, Nike, Inc., Consulate General of Canada, Consulate General of New Zealand

Other places:

• Palais Cafe, a bar, also renovated.

Gallery

• 
  Lam Sơn Square, Intersection of Lê Lợi and Đồng Khởi in 2008
• 
  Đồng Khởi Street seen from Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel in 2009
• 
  Eden Center, few days before the demolition for Union Square Saigon
• 
  Đồng Khởi Street in Tết 2011
• 
  213 Đồng Khởi Building was the Cochinchina Governor's Private Secretary's Office, now is demolished and redeveloped as the extension of the Ho Chi Minh City Hall

Notes and references

See also

• Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard
• Lê Lợi Boulevard