Vietnamese flags are draped from the Eden centre for the last time - marking the 35th anniversary of the communist victory. The Eden Centre, at Saigon's historic heart and dating back to the 1940s, will soon be demolished. For many, the loss of the Eden caps off two years of destruction that have taken a big toll on Saigon's architectural character.
The historic Eden Centre breathes its last.
The half century relatonship between the Continental Hotel and the Eden Centre has been an enduring feature of the city through decades of turmoil. The demolition of the Eden will bring that fragile relationship to a close leaving the Continental and other historic buildings looking increasingly isolated and out of place.
The Continental Hotel and the Eden Centre. The Givral Cafe at the Eden Centre's ground level was the centre of intrigue in the city during the war. Graham Greene and lauded Vietnamese Time correspondent and communist spy Pham Xuan An were amongst Givral's regulars. In the decades since, Givral has been a favoured gathering spot for locals and visitors with its views across the Continental and the Opera House (former South Vietnamese National Assembly).
A bizarre glimpse of the site's bland future. Where are the Vietnamese? No space for history or sentimentality in this consumer nirvana in the middle of Dong Khoi St (Total Uprising St) - formerly Rue Catinat and later Tu Do St.
Eden Centre's last celebration of Saigon's liberation. Over the past three decades, the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States has nostalgically built numerous Eden centre replicas acrosss their adopted home to remember this soon to be demolshed complex by.
It was replaced by this newly opened tower. While Saigon will no doubt need more modern office towers. Hopefully the heritage loss will not be as high as it was here. There isn't much left.
The nursery man. Whole human ecosystems, sometimes decades old, survive around these wonderful old buildings.
Heritage buildings facing demolition, Saigon. Many foreigners assume that interest in the heritage architecture is not widespread in Vietnamese society. This is not what I hear in my travels. Many young Vietnamese ask what will be left and what will Saigon 2020 look like?
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