Nguyen Hue Walking Street, Saigon

Saigon’s Nguyen Hue St is a 60m wide pedestrian strip that runs from the colonial-era People’s Committee Building, with its Ho Chi Minh statue, 900 metres down to the Saigon River.

The nightly congregation of locals here is a great experience of people watching. And there are some interesting little pieces of architecture and other tidbits along the way too.

In a city where pavements in the downtown area are dominated by motorcycles, often riding at speed, a proper walking space, free of motorbikes, is a welcome development. Shame about the overuse of pavers - a national obsession - and the sparing use of greenery and shade. 

Nguyen Hue St won’t win any awards for design, nor for its heat mitigation in the age of climate change. It’s characterless as a landmark public space too. But that doesn’t mean the place is without character. The crowds of young locals that descend each night provide that in spades. They come to walk, socialise, sing, dance and ride hoverboards. They more than compensate for the blandness of the physical space.

Nguyen Hue St is busy every night. On Saturdays and Sundays, the streets that run either side of the strip are closed to traffic - adding to the size of the space and drawing larger crowds. During Tet the vibe is especially festive as the area becomes a huge Lunar New Year flower market.

There are a few landmarks along the strip worth noting. The French colonial Hotel de Ville, home of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee since 1975 (aka. the city government), is one of Saigon’s best known architectural landmarks. 

In front of the People’s Committee building is a 2015 statue of Ho Chi Minh. A more modest statue of Uncle Ho was located at the site for decades after the end of the war. The more flamboyant statue was created to mark the opening of the pedestrian strip.

Uncle Ho is flanked on both sides by purveyors of global luxury goods. In 2024 the front doors of the city's Communist People's Committee lead straight into a Rolls Royce showroom.

The historic Rex Hotel still stands, though it’s has been renovated almost beyond recognition - and is submerged behind the luxury brands.

As you look towards the Saigon River, Saigon’s tallest building, Bitexco Financial Centre, towers over the city on the right side.

The apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue above the Fahasa bookshop, has been colonised by local creatives and is a little hotbed of cafes and boutiques - a destination in its own right. Well worth heading in for a look and a coffee.

Closer to the river, you’ll find the French colonial State Treasury building that sits in front of the giant Bitexco Financial Centre.