This neo-Romanesque cathedral constructed entirely from materials imported from France between 1863 and 1880 remains the most elegant symbol of colonial Saigon, its red brick facade and twin 58-meter spires dominating the central district. The cathedral served as the spiritual center for French colonists and Vietnamese Catholics through war and revolution, its Virgin Mary statue in the square famously 'weeping' in 2005 and drawing enormous crowds before authorities dismissed the phenomenon. The building is currently undergoing extensive renovation, but the exterior and surrounding plaza continue to provide the city's most iconic photo opportunity and peaceful gathering space.

Saigon Central Post Office

Designed by Gustave Eiffel's firm and completed in 1891, this magnificent post office remains a working facility where visitors can send postcards beneath the vaulted ceiling while admiring painted maps of Cochinchina and the benevolent portrait of Ho Chi Minh presiding over the grand hall. The building's iron structure, cream and green color scheme, and elegant phone booths transport visitors to the era when Saigon was the 'Pearl of the Orient' and this post office connected the colony to France and the world. The souvenir shops may be touristy, but the architecture and atmosphere make this essential viewing.