Situated smack on the banks of the Saigon River, HCMC's original district - the very first place to be called 'Saigon', though the distinction has become somewhat blurred recently - and still known as the epicenter of the sprawling metropolis.
It is in District One that you find almost all the old French buildings, including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Hotel Continental, the People's Committee Hall (nee the Hotel de Ville) and the Opera House.
The district forms a backwards L shape, with Ben Thanh Market at the juncture. To the north is the French Quarter and to the southwest is the Tourist quarter, where backpackers on package tours live in relative poverty compared to the Parisian-style splendor which starts along Le Loi Street.
Although it has been getting some recent competition from District 7 and even Districts 2 and 3, District One is still where most of the action is and where I spend most of my time when I'm not at home.
2 comments:
is this where 'The Quiet American' is set? I've lost the book....
It is indeed.
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