The Grand Canal (later Boulevard Charner, now Nguyen Hue) , a floating drydock, the signal station, sampans and l'arroyo chinoise appear in these 1875-79 photos taken by Émile Gsell. From the Université Côte d'Azur bibliothèques.

 

There were several private clubs in Saigon. Foreign expatriates and diplomats along with elite wealthy Vietnamese and their families could, if members, enjoy the swimming, tennis, dining and gym at Le Cercle Sportif Saigonnais. During 1969 and 1970 my uncle Ed Sanborn was a member while in Saigon as general manager of an American civil engineering firm. He took these photos.

Le Cercle Sportif is now known as the Ho Chí Minh City Labor Culture Palace.

Photo from historynet.com

A work associate belonged to Le Club Nautique. He kept a power boat there and, however unlikely this may seem, used it for water skiing on the Saigon River.

Another private club was the International House, of which I was a member in 1967-68. Located at No. 69 Nguyen Hue, it had a restaurant, piano bar, slot machines and a little store selling luxury goods, including diamond jewelry. There was something murky about the ownership of this place as they were able to import beer, liquor, food and expensive goods not available elsewhere in Vietnam.

There was some sort of gathering here in April or May of 1965 at the circular street intersection (Cong Truong Me Linh) at the foot of Hai Ba Trung. A motor cyclo zips past while a private car and jitney bus are headed the other way. This was the landing point for the cross river ferry boat and pier location of intracoastal cargo ships.

The second US embassy in Saigon was at No. 4 Thong Nhat, now called Le Duan. 

Postcard Photo of US Embassy at 39 Ham Nghi

The first American embassy was located at No. 39 Ham Nghi. It opened as a "US Legation" in 1950, becoming an embassy when the US formally recognized the Ngo Dinh Diem government in 1955. The building was the site of a bomb attack in 1965. 

The diplomats moved to the newly opened Thong Nhut location in 1967. The old embassy on Ham Nghi is now a bank.

These are selected photos from a book titled Souvenir de la Indochine et du Cambodge published in 1922 by L. Crespin. There are 195 photos on 50 pages. The ones shown here have been cropped slightly and color adjusted from the original sepia images. The captions are from the originals. 

Quai de Belgique - Entrée de la Rue Catinat

Rue Lagrandière (Angle Rue Catinat)

La Cathédrale (Vue de Boulevard Norodom)

Place de Théâtre - Arc de Triomphe en l'honneur de M. le Maréchal Jofree

Place du Grand Théâtre

Rond-Point du Boulevard et du Boulevard Charner

Rue Commerçante Chinoise à Cholon

Palais du Lieutenant-Gouverneur de Cochinchine

There are street scenes as well as images of public buildings, markets and the Saigon river. Several photos in Souvenir de la Indochine et du Cambodge depict colonial officials of the time. Also included are some unusual photos of the construction and launching of a ship at the riverfront shipyard.

Funded by the West German government, hospital ship Helgoland was in Saigon from October 1966 through the following June, when the ship moved to Danang. While in Saigon the medical staff treated 6700 outpatients and completed 870 major surgeries. Helgoland had 150 inpatient beds and four operating rooms along with a staff of doctors, medical technicians and nurses.

This photo was taken from the Majestic Hotel in 1967.

At the corner of To Do and Ho Huan Nghiep in 1965. Several bars, street vendors a taxi and a cyclo along with a real estate office on the corner. 

Google street view photo

The shop houses pictured now contain a coffee shop, Indian restaurant and a foot massage parlor. A women's clothing store and upscale Vietnamese restaurant occupy the building at the left. The Myst Dong Khoi hotel has replaced some of the old buildings at the right.

Tied up side-by-side, three intracoastal cargo ships load cargo going to ports up country. Kids are swimming in the river by the defunct miniature golf concession. The late 1950s cars at the lower right are vehicles for hire awaiting customers. Photo from the Majestic Hotel in 1972.

An Old Postcard View from the Majestic Hotel

From the fifth floor of the Hotel Majestic, this 1967 view shows Vietnamese naval vessels at the left, a couple of intracoastal cargo vessels and the little ferry boat that shuttled passengers across the river. A landing craft (LST) is in mid-river at the upper left.

Below is the same view in 1972.