Top of Saigon

 This article  has been published in the 2013 Janurary issue of The Guide, cultural magazine of the news paper Viêt-Nam Economics News.

When I returned to Ho Chi Minh City in 2010 I was surprised by the presence of large towers standing among colonial houses as my taxi journeyed from the airport to the city centre. With a mix of both nostalgia and admiration, I felt that a new page of Saigon’s architectural history was about to be turned.

The city’s ‘race to the sky’ began in the 1990s because of a lack of space and other functional reasons. The competition nowadays is fierce among Vietnam’s three major cities - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. The Top 5 you have only listed 4 skyscrapers in the country are The Landmark in Hanoi, at 336 metres tall, the Bitexco Financial Tower in HCMC (263 metres), The 2 Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Towers in Hanoi (212 metres), and Saigon One Tower in HCMC (195 metres). HCMC has the most number of buildings in Vietnam rising higher than 100 metres.

A change of perspective

What better way to see a city than from the top of one of these giants? I accompanied my son and his classmates to the Bitexco Financial Tower in HCMC, which was designed by architect Carlos Zapata based on a lotus flower. Aesthetically, it’s a success, and was nominated as one of the 20 most iconic skyscrapers in the world by the CNN Travel website in 2011.

The 47th floor is completely reserved for sightseeing, with a complete and impressive 360 degree view of the city. With the eyes of a child, I was surprised to rediscover areas down below that I thought I knew by heart. Next to Bitexco Tower another skyscraper is under construction, and appears to be throwing out something of a challenge height-wise. Watching the workers and the cranes moving around like ants, it’s clear to see the technical challenges a tall building presents.

As skyscrapers rise from the ground, their silhouette marks the sky and, taken together, form the skyline of a city. HCMC’s skyline has truly begun to take a new shape, and the best glimpse can be had from the riverside near the Ho Chi Minh Museum. New towers emerging alongside old colonial buildings provide a stark contrast between two architectural epochs.

Skyscrapers also have a symbolic dimension, associated with power, prestige, and modernity. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is a perfect example, having no other function than to demonstrate the technical know-how available at the time of its construction in 1889.

Relaxing way above

In days gone by the best way to enjoy a moment of peace away from the stress and strain of Saigon was to sip on a cocktail at one of the rooftop terraces of the city’s now-historic hotels. The view from the Caravelle Hotel features the Saigon Opera House and the Intercontinental Hotel, while the bar at the Rex Hotel, which was a favourite haunt of Americans before 1975, is one of the most mythical bars in Southeast Asia. Farther from the city centre, the Hotel Majestic offers a panoramic, unobstructed view of the Saigon River.
Nowadays, though, the city’s trendy young urbanites enjoy the nightlife at newer rooftop bars and cafes. From the Chill Sky Bar on the top of AB Tower to the Sky Deck at Bitexco Tower, the number of rooftop venues has grown with the construction of tall buildings. I personally prefer these less touristy places, where you can feel the energy of a new generation of Vietnamese people.

Future and spirituality

The choice to head upwards is a recent phenomenon in Vietnam. People may still prefer houses over apartments, but all new real estate projects boast magnificent penthouses in their brochures. The marketing dream, it appears, is in the sky.

Time will tell whether these glass cathedrals will replace their older counterparts in the hearts of Vietnam’s citizens, but for now it’s still the case that everyone’s wedding album has a picture of the bride in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Their lack of a spiritual dimension means that modern towers are not yet to dethrone the older architectural icons as the symbols of the city."

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