Take a stroll along any random street in downtown Saigon, one is bound to bump into a hodgepodge of architectural styles. Sleek but boring international-style skyscrapers, tranquil Buddhist pagodas, and yellow colonial villas peek out in between a sea of generic tube houses. Amid those influences, the predominantly gray facades of modernist houses seem drowned out by the noises.
The decades from 1940s to 1970s are considered by researchers of Vietnamese history and architecture as the golden age of kiến trúc hiện đại Việt Nam, a uniquely Vietnamese flavor of the kind of global modernism that was in vogue in the mid-20th century. This local movement was spearheaded by a number of architects like Huỳnh Tấn Phát, Nguyễn Quang Nhạc, Nguyễn Văn Hoa, and Phạm Văn Thâng, who designed some of the city’s most iconic modernist buildings.
As French colonialism took its last breath, in this period, Vietnam was eager to foster a new society centered by independence and optimism for the future, according to architect Mel Schenck. “Vietnamese architects jumped past the neoclassical and art deco architecture of the French architects directly into modernism, since it expressed their autonomy and their aspirations to be a modern country in the industrial age,” he writes.
Over time, the appearance of numerous modernist structures across the city, from residential tenements to government offices and shophouses, has built up a wealth of modernist architecture elements — a vernacular “dictionary” that’s still being used and appreciated today by new projects. The five buildings introduced here represent the most distinctive features of Vietnamese modernism, blending style with function to fit the local tropical climate.
1. V.A.R Building | 9 Nguyễn Công Trứ, D1
The V.A.R building, finished in 1973 and designed by architect Lê Văn Lắm, is a great example of Vietnam's mid-20th-century modern style, showcasing both the country’s unique post-colonial creativity and push for cultural independence. Lắm was one of the early architects who shaped the tropical modernist movement, making modern buildings work well in Vietnam’s hot and humid weather. His use of the double-skin method, seen in many of his designs, is especially notable here. The V.A.R building’s front, with its “moving” double-skin at the busy corner of Hồ Tùng Mậu and Nguyễn Công Trứ streets, stands out for both its smart function and interesting texture and structure. Despite the tight space, Lắm chose to use this feature for its cooling effect, making the building a great model of how modern design can adapt to Vietnam's urban and tropical needs.
Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Read our in-depth feature about the V.A.R building here.
2. HCMC General Sciences Library | 69 Lý Tự Trọng Street, D1
Covering about 7,000 square meters, the Ho Chi Minh City General Sciences Library is another prime example of southern Vietnam’s modernist architecture from the late 20th century. The site was originally a mint in the 19th century, but later became a French colonial prison, and then a university before the current library was built between 1968 and 1971 by architects Nguyễn Hữu Thiện and Bùi Quang Hanh, with Lê Văn Lắm providing technical insights. Its geometric façade, inspired by eastern designs, includes intricate motifs resembling the Chinese character for happiness. The building also features symbolic representations of dragons and phoenixes, mythological creatures believed to bring harmony, success, and positive energy to the space. The library, too, employs the double-skin method to reduce exposure to outside heat for readers while providing ample canopy to shield them from the rain.
Photos by Lee Starnes.
3. V.O.H Radio Building | 3 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, D1
Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Designed in 1969, the Voice of Ho Chi Minh City People (V.O.H) building is another creation of Lê Văn Lắm that demonstrates his vision and thorough command of modernist architectural language. Although construction began before 1975, the building was not fully completed until years later due to ongoing modifications. Lắm’s design masterfully responded to Vietnam’s tropical climate, incorporating three distinct structural elements: a ground floor with extended eaves to handle high traffic, three central floors wrapped in a brise-soleil layer to improve ventilation and reduce heat, and an elevated roof to prevent heat accumulation and rainwater intrusion. This passive design approach not only created a comfortable, cost-effective building but also added to the unique gracefulness of Vietnamese modernism, with its softer, more humanistic expression.
Read our in-depth feature about the VOH building here.
4. Reunification Palace | Bến Nghé Ward, D1
Before this iconic building stood at the western end of Lê Duẩn Boulevard, the site housed the French Palace of the Government, or Norodom Palace, which was demolished in May 1962. Construction of the new palace began in July 1962 and was completed in 1966. The modern design was the vision of architect Ngô Viết Thụ, who was the first Vietnamese to win the Grand Prix de Rome in 1955. Thụ blended modern and traditional Asian architecture by incorporating auspicious Chinese characters into the building's layout. The palace's shape reflects different characters depending on the viewing angle.
Photos by Rowan Heuvel on Unsplash.
The façade at the Independence Palace was inspired by the image of bamboo, using concrete with a white finish to create a visually striking effect under sunlight. Designed by sculptor Nguyễn Văn Thế, the two-story brise-soleil features abstract, prefabricated vertical concrete elements resembling bamboo stalks. These bamboo segments form a "stone curtain" with nine leaf-shaped openings to allow light into the building, reminiscent of bamboo blinds used in traditional Vietnamese homes.
5. Thống Nhất Hospital | 1 Lý Thường Kiệt, Tân Bình District
Situated on a 3-hectare plot at the intersection of Cách Mạng Tháng 8 and Lý Thường Kiệt streets, commonly known as Ngã Tư Bảy Hiền, Thống Nhất Hospital as we know today used to be named Vì Dân Hospital when it was first built by the previous government. Before 1954, the plot was a military outpost. Its design was the work of architect Trần Đình Quyền, the “father of hospitals” in Saigon.
Born in Huế in 1932, Quyền got into a medical program in Saigon but dropped out because he was too afraid of dissection. He enrolled in architecture school instead and graduated in 1960. Soon after, UNICEF awarded Quyền a two-year scholarship to study hospital design at Columbia University. His experience learning how the US plans medical facilities played a major role in the conceptualization of Thống Nhất Hospital, the design of which marked a departure from the fragmented style of French-designed hospitals often seen in Saigon at the time. These often have scattered, isolated wards connected by covered walkways, making it difficult to provide quick care. Quyền incorporated the American approach, where medical services were huddled in close proximity in one building block.
Still, instead of adopting the fully enclosed American model with its high reliance on centralized air conditioning, Quyền modified the design for Vietnam’s hot climate by creating separate but connected blocks, maximizing natural light and airflow while incorporating features like brise-soleil and large open spaces to reduce heat and improve ventilation, making the hospital more energy-efficient and better suited to the region’s conditions.
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