The 33 storey Saigon Trade Center was completed in 1997 and was the tallest building in Vietnam until the erection of the Bitexco Financial Tower in 2010. On the roof terrace of the building, there was once a coffee shop but it was shuttered long ago.
Michael Waibel, editor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book, was given access to the roof terrace in March 2003 and again in March 2013 and March 2014. The photos in this slideshow illustrate the significant changes to HCMC’s skyline over the past decade, including the completion of high-rise towers like the Intercontinental Saigon, Saigon Pearl and City Garden in addition large scale infrastructure projects such as the Thu Thiem bridge.
Some of the photos shown will be included in the planned November release of the second edition of TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City.
Call for Photos
If any Saigoneers can provide photos taken from Saigon Trade Center before 2005 (ideally from the late 1990s) please email them to contribute@saigoneer.com. The submitter of the best compilation will be rewarded with a complimentary hard copy of the photo book TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City.
