Sở hữu vóc dáng đẹp miễn chê, mới đây hot girl lai Việt - Úc là O’sullivan Xuân Mai khoe lưng trần hững hờ khiến ai nấy đều phải khen. Hot girl lai 3 dòng máu quá xinh và gợi cảm đang gây sốt. Hot girl lai nỗ lực tập nhảy để thoát mác “đuông dừa“. CÔNG TY TNHH MTV CƠ KHÍ TRẦN HƯNG ĐẠO. Địa chỉ: 114 Phố Mai Hắc Đế, Phường Lê Đại Hành, Quận Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội. Nhà máy sản xuất: Đường TS11, Khu Công nghiệp Tiên Sơn, Bắc Ninh. Điện thoại: (84)- 0241 373 4724/25/27 Fax: (84)-0241 373 4726. Website: www.veamthd.com. 606 Trần Hưng Đạo, P. 2, Q. 5, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh (TPHCM) (028) 39238545 . anphucorp@anphucorp.com.vn - Chuyển nhượng quyền sử dụng đất The former SAMIPIC villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo, which served successively as MAAG, MACV and Korean Forces HQ. Mọi ủng hộ tài chính để phát triển kênh vui lòng gửi tới tài khoản Techcombank: 19021947007023 - Chủ TK: Nguyen Thi LangHoặc qua tài khoản Paypal: https://ww . The elegant colonial villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo, currently threatened by demolition This article was published previously in Saigoneer The grand old villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo, one of Chợ Quán’s few remaining heritage buildings, is currently threatened with redevelopment. According to local historians, 606 Trần Hưng Đạo was once the site of an old Khmer pagoda, but by 1932 that had been demolished to make way for the current building, an elegant villa built for the state-franchised charity lottery company known as the Société pour l’amélioration morale, intellectuelle et physique des indigènes de Cochinchine SAMIPIC. The MAAG headquarters at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo in 1962 unknown photographer Founded in 1926 and run by a committee which “grouped together the élite of Annamite society” Gazette coloniale, 1936, SAMIPIC sold 2-piastre lottery tickets to the public and then donated a substantial part of its income to charitable, health and educational causes in Cochinchine. It also “organised conferences, and every year offered a number of scholarships in France and in the colony to the most deserving students.” SAMIPIC’s achievements included setting up the Maison des Associations Annamites in Saigon in 1929 and funding the construction of the “Maison indochinoise” at the Cité Universitaire de Paris, which was inaugurated on 22 March 1930 by French President Gaston Doumergue and the young King Bảo Đại. SAMIPIC was housed initially in a small villa near the Parc Maurice Long [today’s Tao Đàn Park], but on 16 February 1933, La Croix newspaper reported the inauguration of its brand new headquarters at 96 boulevard Galliéni now 606 Trần Hưng Đạo. The building was later described as “superb,” with “magnificent decor” Écho annamite, 6 September 1941. Another view of the MAAG headquarters at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo from 1963 unknown photographer After the departure of the French in 1954, the villa was acquired by the American government and became home to the Military Assistance Advisory Group MAAG, which co-ordinated the supply of military hardware, training and assistance to the French and subsequently to the Republic of Việt Nam. Because of its high profile, the villa was one of three US installations in the city targeted by the National Liberation Front on 22 October 1957. In February 1962, following the arrival of the first US Army aviation units, MAAG became part of the Military Assistance Command Việt Nam MACV, which was set up to provide a more integrated command structure with full responsibility for all US military activities and operations in Việt Nam. At first, MACV staff shared the villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo with their MAAG colleagues, but in May 1962 they were given separate accommodation on Pasteur street see 137 Pasteur. From that date until 1966, the villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo was known as “MACV II.” MAAG survived as a separate entity until May 1964, when its functions were fully integrated into MACV. The Republic of Korea Forces Vietnam ROKFV headquarters building at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo in February 1969 photograph via In 1966, following the transfer of all MACV operations to the new “Pentagon East” complex at Tân Sơn Nhất Air Base, the villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo was vacated by the Americans and became the headquarters of the Republic of Korea Forces Vietnam ROKFV, which remained at the villa until the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. The villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo is currently home to several local businesses. However, according to reliable sources, there are plans to demolish it and replace it with a new office block. UPDATE – Despite its heritage value, this building was demolished in August 2018. You may also be interested to read these articles In Search of Saigon’s American War Vestiges American War Vestiges in Saigon – 60 Vo Van Tan American War Vestiges in Saigon – 137 Pasteur American War Vestiges in Saigon – Former “Free World” HQ American War Vestiges in Saigon – Former USIS Headquarters The MACV II headquarters at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo, pictured some time between 1962 and 1966 unknown photographer The Republic of Korea Forces Vietnam ROKFV headquarters building at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo in February 1969 photograph via The Republic of Korea Forces Vietnam ROKFV headquarters building at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo in the late 1960s unknown photographer The Republic of Korea Forces Vietnam ROKFV headquarters building at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo in 1969 unknown photographer Tim Doling is the author of the guidebook Exploring Saigon-Chợ Lớn – Vanishing heritage of Hồ Chí Minh City Nhà Xuất Bản Thế Giới, Hà Nội, 2019 A full index of all Tim’s blog articles since November 2013 is now available here. Join the Facebook group pages Saigon-Chợ Lớn Then & Now to see historic photographs juxtaposed with new ones taken in the same locations, and Đài Quan sát Di sản Sài Gòn – Saigon Heritage Observatory for up-to-date information on conservation issues in Saigon and Chợ Lớn. Bản đồ đến Công Ty Cổ Phần Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Toyota An ThànhCác công ty Bán buôn ô tô và xe có động cơ khác ở khu vực TP Hồ Chí MinhCông Ty TNHH MTV Thương Mại Và Dịch Vụ Đức AnhSố 5, đường 5, khu nhà ở Vạn Phúc 1, khu phố 5, Phường Hiệp Bình Phước, Quận Thủ ĐứcCông Ty TNHH Vm Motors Đại HànSố 1374A Quốc lộ 1A, Khu phố 1, Phường Thới An, Quận 12Công Ty TNHH Duy Long Auto Plus18/2 Đường 9, Khu phố 4, Phường Trường Thọ, Quận Thủ ĐứcCông Ty TNHH Hùng Dũng Api147B Đề Thám, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1Công Ty TNHH TM DV Sx Ô Tô Thiên Phát133/18 Đường Số 8, Phường 11, Quận Gò VấpCông Ty TNHH Cự Đỉnh1135/66/17 Huỳnh Tấn Phát, Phường Phú Thuận, Quận 7Công Ty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Ô Tô Trường Thịnh117/2/7 Hồ Văn Long, Khu phố 3, Phường Tân Tạo, Quận Bình TânCông Ty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Phước Tuyến15A đường 170 Ấp 5, Xã Bình Mỹ, Huyện Củ ChiCông Ty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Tường Hào147A/5/10E Đường Gò Công, Phường 13, Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Ô Tô Kim Thành146/39/3 Trương Đăng Quế, Phường 3, Quận Gò Vấp Các công ty lân cậnCông Ty Cổ Phần Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Toyota An Thành606 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường 02, Quận 5, TP Hồ Chí Minh, Việt NamCty TNHH MTV ô Tô Hồng ân323 An Dương Vương Phường 03, Quận 5Cty TNHH Một Thành Viên Thương Mại Thuận Thành919 C/c Phan Văn Trị Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Điện Tử Kim Nguyên1H Bà Triệu, Phường 12, Quận 5Cty TNHH Dương Hùng129C Trần Phú Quận 5Cty TNHH Một Thành Viên Tín Hiếu Phát20-22 Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt Phường 01, Quận 5DNTN Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Thảo Mai69 An Dương Vương Phường 08, Quận 5Cty TNHH Trung Việt Long338/25/3 An Dương Vương Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ ô Tô Tây Sài Gòn1250-1252 Đường Võ Văn Kiệt, Phường 10, Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Thương Mại Trường Phát Thịnh14 Vạn Kiếp, Phường 10, Quận 5Cty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Xuất Nhập Khẩu Chánh Lộc324-326 An Dương Vương Phường 04, Quận 5 The boulevard Galliéni, now Trần Hưng Đạo boulevard, pictured in the 1940s This article was published previously in Saigoneer. One of Saigon’s youngest major boulevards, Trần Hưng Đạo was built in 1911-1913 over former swamp land to provide a more direct route between the cities of Saigon and Chợ Lớn. An 1890 map of the “High Road” and then proposed “Low Road” tramway routes, which avoided the swamp For nearly 60 years after the conquest, Saigon and Chợ Lớn were separated by a large expanse of swampy ground known as the Marais Boresse Boresse Swamp. This particularly inaccessible quagmire was located immediately to the west of modern Nguyễn Thái Học street. During this period, access between the two cities was achieved by taking either the “High Road” route Haute – modern Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Trần Phú streets – or the “Low Road” route Basse, which ran along the north bank of the arroyo Chinois Bến Nghé creek. It was along these routes that two rival Saigon-Chợ Lớn steam tramways were opened by private operators, in 1881 and 1891 respectively. In 1879, 1887 and again in 1904, the Cochinchina authorities drew up plans to fill the swamp, but on each occasion these plans had to be abandoned, due to arguments between Colonial Councillors and ultimately shortage of funds. The boulevard Galliéni pictured on a Saigon map of 1918, before the tramway line was installed Finally on 27 July 1910, following an embarrassing intervention by the exasperated Government General in Hà Nội, the sum of 1,250,000 piastres was set aside for the filling of the marsh, the sinking of foundations for the new Saigon Railway Station and the construction of a brand new road linking the two cities, to be known as the boulevard Saigon-Cholon. Entrusted to the Société française d’Entreprises de Dragages et de Travaux publics on 18 April 1911, these major works took over two years to complete. The boulevard Saigon-Cholon opened to traffic on 9 December 1913. Conceived from the outset as an extension of the boulevard Bonnard modern Lê Lợi boulevard, with which it connected via the square in front of the new Halles centrales or Bến Thành Market, the boulevard Saigon-Cholon extended west as far as the rue d’An-Binh modern An Bình street, whence the existing rue des Marins modern Trần Hưng Đạo B continued into Chợ Lớn General Joseph Galliéni 24 April 1849-27 May 1916 In late 1916, following the death of French military commander and colonial administrator General Joseph Galliéni 24 April 1849-27 May 1916, the boulevard Saigon-Cholon was rechristened boulevard Général Galliéni. By 1911, the operator of the old “High Road” steam tramway, the Société générale des tramways à vapeur de Cochinchine SGTVC, had been driven out of business by its “Low Road” rival, the Compagnie française des tramways de l’Indochine CFTI, obliging the government to step in and run the loss-making “High Road” tramway directly as part of its Chemins de fer de l’Indochine CFI mainline rail network. In 1920, as CFTI embarked upon a comprehensive tramway electrification project, CFI briefly considered a proposal to replace the old “High Road” steam tramway with a brand new electric tramway line along boulevard Galliéni. However, it seems that CFI managers had little interest in developing the city tramway and the proposal was abandoned. The boulevard Galliéni, pictured on a Saigon map of 1942 which shows the tramway line Then in 1925, CFI received an offer it simply could not refuse. In that year, CFTI proposed that, in exchange for a 30-year contract extension for all of its operations, it would take over the old Sài Gòn–Chợ Lớn “high road” franchise and, at its own expense, rebuild the line as a double-track electric tramway connecting the two cities via the boulevard Galliéni. The mainline rail operator jumped at this chance to dispense with the loss-making tramway line. A concession was signed in 1926, and the new Galliéni tramway line opened to the public in 1928, with seven stops – Sài Gòn terminus Hàm Nghi/Hồ Tùng Mậu crossroads, Cuniac Bến Thành Market, d’Arras Trần Hưng Đạo/Hồ Hảo Hớn junction, Nancy Trần Hưng Đạo/Nguyễn Văn Cừ junction, Pétrus Ký Lê Hồng Phong/Trần Hưng Đạo junction, An-binh An Bình/Trần Hưng Đạo junction, and then along the rue des Marins into Chợ Lớn. A rare 1953 colour image of electric trams on boulevard Gallieni Trần Hưng Đạo boulevard, on the eve of closure Sadly, the Galliéni boulevard tramway line functioned for only 25 years. Victim of a long-running dispute between CFTI and Bải Đại’s State of Việt Nam government, it ceased operation on 11 June 1953. In 1955, the authorities terminated CFTI’s contract and closed the entire tramway system permanently. In 1952, the section of Galliéni boulevard running from rue Nancy to rue d’An-Binh was renamed Trần Hưng Đạo boulevard, in honour of the great national hero Trần Hưng Đạo ?-1300, who inflicted three successive defeats on Mongol invaders. Then after 1955, that became the new name of the entire boulevard, while the former rue des Marins which connected it to Chợ Lớn became Đồng Khánh boulevard. Since 1976, Đồng Khánh boulevard has been known as Trần Hưng Đạo B. The Pétrus Ký Mausoleum today After 1955, Trần Hưng Đạo became the new name of the entire boulevard, while the former rue des Marins which connected it to Chợ Lớn became Đồng Khánh boulevard. Since 1976, Đồng Khánh boulevard has been known as Trần Hưng Đạo B. Because of the street’s relative newness, most of the important landmarks situated along its length date from the later colonial period. The road was driven through the middle of the former Nhơn Giang village in Chợ Quán, where scholar Pétrus Ký had built his house on 1861, so that when the Pétrus Ký Mausoleum was built on that site in 1935-1937, it stood right next to the boulevard Galliéni. Other important landmarks on the avenue which still exist include the Comptoir Nguyễn Văn Hảo Saïgonnais flatiron building at 19-21 Trần Hưng Đạo, , the École maternelle de Chodui now Ernst Thälmann High School at 8 Trần Hưng Đạo, and the Hakka Clinic now Hồ Chí Minh City Orthopedic Trauma Hospital at 929 Trần Hưng Đạo. Sadly the former SAMIPIC mansion at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo , which existed until 2018, has since been demolished. Tim Doling is the author of the guidebook Exploring Saigon-Chợ Lớn – Vanishing heritage of Hồ Chí Minh City Nhà Xuất Bản Thế Giới, Hà Nội, 2019 A full index of all Tim’s blog articles since November 2013 is now available here. Join the Facebook group pages Saigon-Chợ Lớn Then & Now to see historic photographs juxtaposed with new ones taken in the same locations, and Đài Quan sát Di sản Sài Gòn – Saigon Heritage Observatory for up-to-date information on conservation issues in Saigon and Chợ Lớn. Bản đồ đến Công Ty Cổ Phần Tập Đoàn Hưng Thuận NTNNCác công ty Khai thác đá, cát, sỏi, đất sét khu vực TP Hồ Chí MinhCông Ty TNHH MTV TM DV Vận Tải Vạn Phước1041/62/159 Trần Xuân Soạn, Phường Tân Hưng, Quận 7Công Ty TNHH Xây Dựng Vận Tải Nhà Hàng Hoàng Bá36 Thành Công, Phường Tân Thành, Quận Tân phúCông Ty TNHH Một Thành Viên Khai Thác Khoáng Sản Thiên Phú119 Khu phố 4, Đường Trung Mỹ Tây 6A, phường Trung Mỹ Tây, Quận 12Công Ty TNHH Thế Giới Đất Cát Đá244/15 Thoại Ngọc Hầu, Phường Phú Thạnh, Quận Tân phúCông Ty TNHH Khoáng Sản Hoàng Thạch109 Đường D3, Phường 25, Quận Bình ThạnhCông Ty TNHH Xây Dựng Thuận Thành T&t1B đường số 1, Khu phố 5, Phường Hiệp Bình Phước, Quận Thủ ĐứcCông Ty TNHH Đầu Tư Xây Dựng Và Khai Thác Mỏ Đam SanSố 27 Đường A4, Phường 12, Quận Tân BìnhCông Ty TNHH Sản Xuất Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Tân Tạo588-590 Đường Trần Văn Giàu, khu Phố 9, Phường Tân Tạo, Quận Bình TânCông Ty TNHH Khai Thác Khoáng Sản Và Xây Dựng Phú Gia Phát1856 Đường Tỉnh Lộ 15, Ấp Phú Hiệp, Xã Phú Mỹ Hưng, Huyện Củ ChiCông Ty Cổ Phần Khai Thác Ấn Thành177 Thoại Ngọc Hầu, Phường Phú Thạnh, Quận Tân phúCác công ty lân cậnCông Ty Cổ Phần Tập Đoàn Hưng Thuận NTNN606 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường 02, Quận 5, TP Hồ Chí Minh, Việt NamCty Cổ Phần Phát Triển Kinh Tế Nông Thôn Quốc Tế1141 Trần Hưng Đạo Quận 5Cty Cổ Phần Xây Dựng Việt Phú Thịnh80/1 Nguyễn Trãi, Phường 03, Quận 5Cty TNHH Khoáng Sản Khánh Hoà12 Phú Định Quận 5Công Ty Cổ Phần Khoáng Sản Ngọc Việt63/52 Nguyễn Biểu, Phường 01, Quận 5Công Ty Cổ Phần Đầu Tư Xây Dựng Xuất Nhập Khẩu An Lộc27 Thuận Kiều, Phường 12, Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Đại Nguyên Thịnh812 - 814 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường 07, Quận 5Công Ty Cổ Phần Thương Mại Xuất Nhập Khẩu Liêng Hương220 Trần Phú, Phường 09, Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Đầu Tư Phát Triển An Điền91A Phù Đổng Thiên Vương, Phường 11, Quận 5Cty CP Đầu Tư Xuất Nhập Khẩu Đại Dương27 Thuận Kiều Phường 12, Quận 5Công Ty TNHH Thương Mại Dịch Vụ Sản Xuất Sức Việt402/3 An Dương Vương, Phường 04, Quận 5 The second US Embassy building at 4 Thống Nhất Lê Duẩn in 1974 photographer unknown As the international media descends on the city for the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, travel companies report a growing demand from returning American veterans for tours which point out the buildings and installations they once occupied. Over the past few weeks, tour companies in Hồ Chí Minh City have reported an ever-increasing number of requests by former US military and civilian personnel for bespoke city tours taking in the offices and bases in which they once worked. A typical starting point for most “US Vestiges tours” is a drive along Lê Duẩn the former Thống Nhất boulevard past the United States Consulate, which was built in 1998-1999 on the site of the historic 1967 American Embassy. In fact, the American diplomatic presence in Saigon may be traced back over 100 years, and several of the older US mission buildings still stand today. The Catinat building at 26 Lý Tự Trọng, once home to an American Consulate which was car bombed by “Japanese gendarmerie” on 23 November 1941 As early as 1907, a US Consulate could be found operating out of the old Denis Frères trading company headquarters at 4 rue Catinat 4 Đồng Khởi. Sadly, that old colonial edifice was demolished in 1985, but later US consulate buildings at 25 rue Taberd 25 Nguyễn Du, behind the Hotel Sofitel Saigon Plaza and 26 rue de La Grandière the Catinat building at 26 Lý Tự Trọng may still be viewed today. On 23 November 1941, the latter became the target of a devastating bomb attack – said to have been perpetrated by “Japanese gendarmerie” – which caused extensive damage to the Catinat Building. Just over two weeks later, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and all US diplomats were expelled from Indochina. When the Americans returned in 1945, the US Consulate relocated yet again to 4 rue Guynemer now 4 Hồ Tùng Mậu, before the opening of the first purpose-built US Embassy on boulevard de la Somme Hàm Nghi boulevard in 1950. The first US Embassy building at 39 Hàm Nghi, bombed on 30 March 1965 The first US Embassy building at 39 Hàm Nghi was the model for the “American Legation” where CIA agent Alden Pyle worked in Graham Greene’s The Quiet American. On 30 March 1965, it became the target of another car bomb attack, this time by NLF Special Forces Team F21, which killed 22 and injured 183, prompting the relocation of the US Embassy in 1967 to a more secure location at 4 Thống Nhất now Lê Duẩn boulevard. Today, the building at 39 Hàm Nghi houses the Hồ Chí Minh City Banking University. The second US Embassy building at 4 Thống Nhất now the site of today’s US Consulate General at 4 Lê Duẩn – a US$ million fortress opened on 23 September 1967 – was famously breached in the early hours of 31 January 1968 by NLF Special Forces Team 11, as part of the wider Tết Offensive which involved attacks on over 100 towns and cities. A monument to this attack still stands today on the sidewalk outside the US Consulate compound. “Last day of Vietnam War Evacuees mount a staircase to board an American helicopter near the American Embassy in Saigon” Hubert van Es/AFP/Getty Images. Hubert van Es’s iconic image of people scrambling up a rooftop ladder to a helicopter at 22 Gia Long now 22 Lý Tự Trọng Images of the second US Embassy were once more beamed around the world on 30 April 1975, when the destruction of the Tân Sơn Nhất Air Base runways by the approaching People’s Army obliged Ambassador Graham Martin to order a helicopter evacuation, and would-be escapees began thronging outside its gates trying to get in. However, contrary to popular belief, the iconic image by Dutch photographer Hubert van Es of people scrambling up a rooftop ladder to a helicopter was taken not of the Embassy, but rather of the CIA’s “Pittman Apartments” at 22 Gia Long now 22 Lý Tự Trọng. Apart from the locations of former consulates and embassies, other extant former US installations in Hồ Chí Minh City include the headquarters buildings of the Military Assistance Command Việt Nam MACV or “Macvee” and its predecessor, the Military Assistance Advisory Group MAAG. The former SAMIPIC villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo, which served successively as MAAG, MACV and Korean Forces HQ Before 1962, the US military advisory effort in Việt Nam was co-ordinated by MAAG, which initially occupied the former SAMIPIC villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo in District 5. In February 1962, following the arrival of the first US Army aviation units, MAAG became part of the Military Assistance Command Việt Nam MACV, which was set up to provide a more integrated command structure with full responsibility for all US military activities and operations in Việt Nam. MAAG survived until May 1964, when its functions were fully integrated into MACV. In May 1962, when MACV relocated to larger premises, the villa at 606 Trần Hưng Đạo became known as MACV II. Then in 1966, following the transfer of MACV operations to Tân Sơn Nhất Air Base, it was vacated by the Americans and became the headquarters of Republic of Korea Forces Vietnam, which remained there until the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Today, 606 Trần Hưng Đạo is home to a number of local businesses, but the old villa is currently under threat of redevelopment – see Date with the Wrecker’s Ball 606 Trần Hưng Đạo. UPDATE – This building was demolished in August 2018 The second MACV headquarters at 137 Pasteur The second MACV headquarters in Saigon – an unassuming three-storey apartment building at 137 Pasteur in District 3 – has an interesting history. Before being taken over by the US military in May 1962, it served from 1955 to 1959 as the headquarters of the Michigan State University Group MSUG, which was controversially engaged to advise President Ngô Đình Diệm on the reorganisation of his feared secret police. By 1966, MACV had outgrown this building too, so on 2 July 1966 it was relocated to the new purpose-built “Pentagon East” complex, adjacent to Tân Sơn Nhất Air Base. Between 1966 and 1972, 137 Pasteur functioned as the headquarters of the MACV’s Studies and Observations Group MACV-SOG, a special operations unit tasked with covert warfare operations. When the last active-service US military units departed in 1972, all MACV operations in the south, including MACV-SOG, were subsumed within the Defense Attaché’s Office DAO, a branch of the US Embassy. In the following year all DAO operations were transferred to the “Pentagon East” complex and 137 Pasteur was returned to civilian use. The former Dodge City Bachelor Enlisted Quarters BEQ and a surviving building of the MACV Annex near Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport Nothing now remains of the huge “Pentagon East” complex, which was formerly situated on the east side of modern Trường Sơn boulevard the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport approach road, between the Cửu Long and Hồng Hà street junctions. In its place today stand the CT Plaza Tân Sơn Nhất shopping mall and cinema complex, and next to it a very large building site. However, on nearby Hồng Hà street, visitors can still see the former Dodge City Bachelor Enlisted Quarters BEQ and one surviving building of the MACV Annex, both currently used by the Southern Airport Services Company SASCO. UPDATE – The MACV Annex building was demolished in 2015. In addition to the former MAAG and MACV buildings, the Saigon residences of the US generals who ran these two organisations have also survived intact. The villa at 60 Võ Văn Tần known before 1975 as 60 Trần Quý Cáp in District 3 is said to have been built originally for a wealthy French wine importer, but it was later acquired by Prince Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Thi 1913-2001, founder of Vikimco Steel, who also built the Rex Hotel. In the late 1950s, he made the villa available to the United States of America to house its military commanders-in-chief. The MACV chiefs’ villa at 60 Võ Văn Tần Thereafter it became the residence of two consecutive MAAG Chiefs – Lieutenant General Samuel T Williams November 1955-September 1960 and Lieutenant General Lionel C McGarr September 1960-July 1962. In 1962, when MAAG was integrated into MACV, the head of MAAG was found new lodgings at 121 Trương Định see below, while 60 Trần Quý Cáp became home to successive MACV Chiefs, including General Paul D Harkins February 1962-June 1964, General William C Westmoreland June 1964-July 1968, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Commander of Naval Forces Việt Nam and Chief of the MACV Naval Advisory Group July 1968-1970, General Creighton Abrams 1970-June 1972 and latterly General Frederick C Weyand June 1972-March 1973. After MACV took over the mansion at 60 Võ Văn Tần/Trần Quý Cáp, the last MAAG Chief, Major General Charles J Timmes July 1962-May 1964 was rehoused in another grand old colonial pile, just up the road at 121 Trương Định. Originally constructed as a managerial residence for the Diethelm import-export company, this building is now in poor condition, but it is still in use as the Hoa Mai Kindergarten Trường mầm non Hoa Mai. The former at US Naval Support Activity Saigon NSAS building at 218 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Midway between those two former residences, on the east side of the Trương Định/Nguyễn Đình Chiểu street junction, stands another relic of the US presence. In the late 1960s, the down-at-heel apartment building at 218 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu formerly 218 Phan Đình Phùng briefly functioned as the headquarters of US Naval Support Activity Saigon NSAS. Unfortunately its close neighbour, the former Naval Forces Việt Nam NAVFORV building at 117 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, didn’t fare quite so well – it was demolished a few years back to make way for a luxury apartment block. At the outset, the United States devoted considerable resources to information and culture programs in South Việt Nam, and by the late 1950s the United States Information Service USIS Saigon office was one of the largest posts of its kind in the world. From 1956 to 1962, USIS Saigon was housed in the large grey building designed by modernist architect Arthur Kruze which still stands on the eastern corner of the Hai Bà Trưng/Lý Tự Trọng intersection, originally 82 Hai Bà Trưng but now designated as 37 Lý Tự Trọng. The former USIS building at 37 Lý Tự Trọng According to an American report of 1956, “The USIS occupies excellent, roomy quarters in three floors of a street corner building at a prime location in downtown Saigon, about a mile from the Embassy. It is completely air-conditioned. The facilities include a library ground floor; 150-seat auditorium; radio studios; and film editing and recording rooms. The square footage totals 33,454.” In 1962, the USIS expanded its operations, moving its administrative offices and Abraham Lincoln Library into the new Rex complex and transforming the building at 82 Hai Bà Trưng into an annex. Built by Prince Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Thi see above in 1959, the Rex Hotel Complex at 141 Nguyễn Huệ was snapped up on completion by the American government. Down to 1964, it not only housed the USIS offices and Abraham Lincoln Library, but also provided hotel accommodation for many US military advisers. During this period it was also home to the first broadcasting studio of Armed Forces Radio Vietnam AFRVN, which went on air for the first time at 6am on 15 August 1962. Two years later, AFRVN was found larger facilities at the nearby Brink Bachelor Officers’ Quarters BOQ, see below. The Rex Hotel As the insurgency got under way and it became clear that US culture and information programs had failed to win widespread support for the Ngô Đình Diệm regime, the United States began to switch to a primarily military strategy. By 1964, the Abraham Lincoln Library had been relocated to a quiet villa at 8 Lê Quý Đôn demolished in 2010, and in the following year, as the first US combat troops set foot on Vietnamese soil, the USIS operation at the Rex was subsumed into the Joint US Public Affairs Office JUSPAO, also incorporating the Communications Media Division of USAID Việt Nam. The annex at 82 Hai Bà Trưng was then redesignated “JUSPAO 2.” Meanwhile the Rex Hotel became a BOQ for US military personnel. At its height in the late 1960s, the Rex complex had around 600 employees and was frequented regularly by over 450 international journalists covering the US war effort. The Caravelle Hotel Between 1965 and 1972, JUSPAO and the MACV Information Office jointly hosted daily press briefings for foreign correspondents, which became known as the “Five O’Clock Follies” because, according to one cynical reporter, “they seldom bore any resemblance to the facts in the field.” Initially held in a 200-seat conference room on the ground floor of the Rex, these press briefings were moved in 1969 to the National Press Center building at 15 Lê Lợi since redeveloped as the Opera View complex opposite the Caravelle. During the same period, the Caravelle Hotel, also opened in 1959, became the hostelry of choice for the US media. By the late 1960s it was home to the Saigon bureaux of numerous American news agencies, including NBC, ABC, CBS, the Washington Post and the New York Times, while its rooftop bar now Saigon Saigon Bar famously became an unofficial “press club” to which journalists such as Walter Cronkite, Neil Sheehan and Peter Arnett would retreat in the evenings. A monument outside the Park Hyatt Hotel commemorates the car bombing of the Brink residence by NLF Special Forces on Christmas Eve 1964 The Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel, located behind the Municipal Theatre, also stands on a site of historical interest. An earlier hotel, constructed on this site in the late 1950s, was acquired by the American military and later transformed into the Brink BOQ at 103 Hai Bà Trưng. A residential block for US army officers with its own mess hall and in-house bakery, Brink also became home to the studios of AFRVN from 1964 to 1967. While the BOQ building no longer exists today, a monument on the corner outside the Park Hyatt Hotel commemorates the car bombing of the Brink residence by NLF Special Forces on Christmas Eve 1964, an event which killed two and injured around 60. The Brink BOQ and its radio station were subsequently repaired, and it was from here in 1965-1966 that the real Adrian Cronauer – immortalised by Robin Williams in the Hollywood film “Good Morning, Vietnam!” – broadcast his radio programmes to American troops. The Kỳ Hoà Hotel at 238 Ba Tháng Hai in District 10, once the headquarters of the Free World Military Assistance Organization FWMAO The Kỳ Hoà Hotel at 238 Ba Tháng Hai formerly 12 Trần Quốc Toản in District 10 is another building with a fascinating story to tell. In the 1960s and early 1970s, it served as the headquarters of the Free World Military Assistance Organization FWMAO, which housed the various country liaison offices for allied operations during the Việt Nam War. In addition to co-ordinating the activities of military personnel sent to Việt Nam by Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, FWMAO also managed the flow of non-military medical, transportation, construction, agriculture support by a variety of other nations. All of the “Free World Forces” received logistical support and operational guidance from the United States Military Assistance Command Việt Nam MACV. For foreigners who lived and worked here before 1975, the streets of Saigon remain a treasure trove of faded reminders of the American presence – from the old USAID buildings at District 1’s Cách mạng Tháng 8 and Nguyễn Khắc Nhu streets and District 3’s Ngô Thời Nhiệm street, to the former Pershing Field Ball Park now the Military Zone 7 Stadium near Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, the so-called “Thieves’ Market” on Tôn Thất Đàm street and the numerous former BOQ and BEQ buildings dotted all over the city. Many veterans have spent years trying to forget the horror and futility of the Việt Nam War, but tour guides report that those who have made the effort to return have found great solace in seeing for themselves just how much the country and its people have recovered and grown in the intervening years. You may also be interested to read these articles American War Vestiges in Saigon – 60 Vo Van Tan American War Vestiges in Saigon – 606 Tran Hung Dao American War Vestiges in Saigon – 137 Pasteur American War Vestiges in Saigon – Former “Free World” HQ American War Vestiges in Saigon – Former USIS Headquarters Tim Doling is the author of the guidebook Exploring Saigon-Chợ Lớn – Vanishing heritage of Hồ Chí Minh City Nhà Xuất Bản Thế Giới, Hà Nội, 2019 A full index of all Tim’s blog articles since November 2013 is now available here. Join the Facebook group pages Saigon-Chợ Lớn Then & Now to see historic photographs juxtaposed with new ones taken in the same locations, and Đài Quan sát Di sản Sài Gòn – Saigon Heritage Observatory for up-to-date information on conservation issues in Saigon and Chợ Lớn.

606 trần hưng đạo