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Saigon Central Post Office

#2of 10 places to visit in Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City, Southeast Vietnam, Vietnam

Also known as Buu Dien Trung Tam Sai Gon · Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office

Quick answer

Opening hours: Varies by season or area. Entry is free. Allow 30 min. Best time: 08:00 - 09:30.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

Get directionsOfficial site

Photo: Kevin Rutherford / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Opening hours: Hours vary; Commonly listed as 08:00 - 17:00 daily; one guide lists 07:00 - 19:00 Monday-Friday, 07:00 - 18:00 Saturday and 08:00 - 18:00 Sunday. Sources conflict, so verify at the site.
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 30 min
Best time of day: 08:00 - 09:30
Best months: Dec – Mar
Address: 2 Cong Xa Paris Street, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City 700000

About Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office is free to enter, as of 2026, and has been in continuous use as a working post office since it was completed in 1891. The building blends Gothic, Renaissance and French provincial details in a yellow-ochre stuccoed facade, with a long vaulted hall under iron trusses, a tiled floor and rows of wooden telephone booths. It stands in Paris Commune Square directly opposite Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, and Vietnam Post still operates counters, postal boxes and a small souvenir concession in the hall.

Best time of day: 08:00 - 09:30. When the hall is quiet and daylight from the arched windows reaches the tiled floor.

Saigon Central Post Office timings

Opening hours: Hours vary; Mon–Sun Varies by season or area; Commonly listed as 08:00 - 17:00 daily; one guide lists 07:00 - 19:00 Monday-Friday, 07:00 - 18:00 Saturday and 08:00 - 18:00 Sunday. Sources conflict, so verify at the site.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	Varies by season or area

Opening hours compiled from hochiminhcity.gov.vn and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Saigon Central Post Office ticket price

Entry fees for Saigon Central Post Office
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

Entry is free as of 2026. The building is a working post office, so the only costs are stamps, postcards and souvenirs bought inside. Opening hours differ between sources, so verify at the counter.

Prices compiled from hochiminhcity.gov.vn and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Saigon Central Post Office

Quiet
Moderate
Busy

07:30 - 09:30
Morning OpeningBest time to go
Locals post mail and the hall is quiet; the best window for empty-hall photographs.
Quiet
09:30 - 12:00
Tour Group Peak
Coach groups arrive from the cathedral and fill the central aisle; photography requires patience.
Busy
12:00 - 15:00
Midday
Numbers thin as groups break for lunch; the hall stays cool compared with the square outside.
Moderate
15:00 - 18:00
Afternoon
Steady independent visitors; less crowding than mid-morning before closing.
Moderate

History of Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office was built between 1886 and 1891 during the French colonial period. The design is credited to Alfred Foulhoux. The building is often attributed to Gustave Eiffel or to Auguste Henri Vildieu, but contemporary architectural journals from 1891 name Foulhoux, and the Eiffel link is treated by historians as an error rather than fact.

Saigon Central Post Office keeps two hand-painted maps on its interior walls, both dated 1892: one of telegraph lines across southern Vietnam and Cambodia, and one of Saigon and its surroundings. Commemorative plaques honour communications pioneers including Morse, Ampere, Volta, Ohm, Faraday and Laplace. A large portrait of Ho Chi Minh hangs at the back of the hall. The building was renovated in 2014 for around US$200,000, and Vietnam Post still owns and operates it.

Rules & etiquette at Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office is a working government building, so visitors queue at counters like any other customer and should avoid blocking the post-office lines to photograph the hall. Photography of the ceiling, the maps and the Ho Chi Minh portrait is allowed. Shoulders and knees do not need to be covered, but modest dress is appropriate in a government building.

Saigon Central Post Office allows visitors to send postcards and letters at the counter, and staff will weigh and stamp them. Souvenir stands inside sell postcards, stamps and trinkets at marked-up prices, and comparison against the counter stamps is worthwhile. Street vendors in the square outside are persistent and pickpockets work the crowds around the entrance.

Tips for visiting Saigon Central Post Office

1
Saigon Central Post Office takes 20-30 minutes to see properly, so it suits a pairing with Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica directly across the square rather than a separate trip. Tour groups cluster around the entrance from about 09:30, and arriving in the first hour of opening gives the empty-hall photograph that the building is known for.
2
Saigon Central Post Office is a genuine place to post mail: postcards to most countries take one to three weeks, and staff can advise on the current rate for the destination. Letter-writing scribes have traditionally worked at the wooden desks in the hall and may offer to write postcards for a fee; agree the price first. The building is 0.9km from Ben Thanh Market and 1.5km from the War Remnants Museum, so it slots easily into a walking loop. Tipping is not expected.

How to reach Saigon Central Post Office

The red star is Saigon Central Post Office; the numbered pins are the 8 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

2 Cong Xa Paris Street, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City 700000Directions in Google Maps

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
8 km · 25-40 min
150,000-250,000 VND taxi/Grab; bus 109, roughly 15,000-20,000 VND.
From Opera House Metro Station (Line 1)
0.9 km · 12 min on foot
Free on foot; metro fares run 7,000-20,000 VND depending on distance.
From Ben Thanh Market
0.9 km · 11-13 min
Free on foot; 20,000-30,000 VND Grab.

Nearest airport

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)

about 8km, 25-40 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Nearest station

From Opera House Metro Station (Line 1)

about 0.9km, 12 minutes on foot.

Saigon Central Post Office FAQs

Is Saigon Central Post Office free to enter?

Yes, entry is free as of 2026. The building is a working post office, and the only costs are stamps, postcards and souvenirs bought inside.

Did Gustave Eiffel design Saigon Central Post Office?

No, the design is credited to the architect Alfred Foulhoux, and the Eiffel attribution is a common error. Construction ran from 1886 to 1891, and contemporary architectural journals name Foulhoux.

What are the opening hours of Saigon Central Post Office?

Most guides list 08:00 to 17:00 daily, and one lists 07:00 to 19:00 on weekdays. Sources conflict, so verify at the counter before making a special trip.

Can I post a postcard from Saigon Central Post Office?

Yes, the counters sell stamps and accept postcards and letters. Delivery to most countries typically takes one to three weeks, and staff can confirm the current international rate.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places