VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City authorities are considering the preservation of parts of the more than 100 year old Saigon Tax Trade Center, including the bottom of the stairs, the mosaic floor, and the handrails or carved balustrades.

The Saigon Tax Trade Center.

The  building, one of the oldest shopping centers in HCM City, is being torn down to make way for the metro construction and a new building.

The proposal to save portions of the building came after foreign diplomats proposed solutions to preserve part of the building.

The HCM City People's Committee has asked the local Department of Planning and Architecture to coordinate with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to conduct research and offer suggestions on the preservation of parts of the Saigon Tax Trading Center.

The Saigon Trading Corporation Limited (SATRA) has been assigned to work with the design consultant to study and propose solutions and and then report to the Council of Architecture - Planning before submitting the solutions to the city government.

Earlier, the Finnish Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City sent a letter to the HCM City People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposing a number of measures to conserve part of the Saigon Tax Trade Center.

The first solution proposed would be to maintain the lobby lounge, the mosaic tiled floor and the major stairs of the center. These parts would be integrated into the design of the new building.

If this could not be implemented, the second solution would be to dismantle, move and retain the mosaic-tiled floor, the balustrades, handrails and carved stair components of the main lobby staircase and the lobby.

The letter also said that under the mandate of the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the foreign consular delegation in HCM City, they would promise to arrange labor and costs to implement the second solution.

It said that later the dismantled parts would be "integrated into museums and other works". To complete the dismantlement, the letter suggested that competent authorities give them some time, about 15-20 days.

On October 8, the Ministry of Culture asked the HCMC People's Committee to assign specialized agencies to study measures to preserve the history, culture and architecture of the Tax Center and report to the Ministry.

At a meeting on October 16, Deputy Director of the National Assembly delegation of HCM City, Mr. Tran Du Lich, asked the city to invite scientists and intellectuals to make comments on the project to rebuild the Center.

The People’s Committee has approved a Saigon Trading Group project to build a 40-storey office and hotel center. Construction is expected to start by the first quarter next year to replace the old Saigon Tax Trade Center building.

The Center, which closed on October 1 for the construction of a skyscraper and part of a metro line station, has a 134-year history.

Founded in 1880, Les Grands Magasins Charner (GMC), the old name of Saigon Tax Trade Center, along with other French-style structures, including Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Central Post Office, and Hôtel de Ville de Saïgon (now the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee headquarters), was considered a part of the glory of Saigon at that time.

In the 1940s, the three-level GMC building, which was a mix of French and Asian architectural styles, comprised a clock tower of Western style on top as well as windows of East Asian style. It stood on two of Saigon’s well-known boulevards, Bonard (the former name of Le Loi Street) and Charner (the former name of Nguyen Hue Street), serving as a shopping mall which sold expensive goods.

In the 1960s, GMC was renamed Tax Plaza by the Trade Association. It was broken up into small areas for hundreds of merchants to rent and run their own businesses.

The Tax Plaza from 1960-1970 was considered one of Saigon’s busiest shopping centers. The mall attracted foreigners, especially American shoppers. The merchandise included clothes, handicrafts, cameras, watches and electronic items imported from Japan, the U.S., and Taiwan.

On November 12, 1981, the Tax Plaza was again renamed, this time the Ho Chi Minh City Department Store and put under the management of the HCMC Trade Service. The period of the 1990s was the store’s most prosperous time as it welcomed a huge number of customers.

In the 1990s, the store enjoyed prosperous business and received a large number of foreign shoppers, mainly from Europe. Due to the very successful trading activities with partners from Russia, this place was also called the “Russian Market” at that time.

In 2003, the Saigon Tax Trade Center was upgraded, becoming a taller modern building which officially began operation on April 26.

For the latest project, all shop owners had to move out of the trade center by the end of September. At the request of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, 500 square meters out of 15,000 square meters of the center’s floor area will be set aside for the construction a metro line station.

Parts of the Saigon Trade Tax Center that will be preserved include:

Compiled by T. Van