In front of you is the Hotel Majestic, which turned one hundred in 2025. This is where Đồng Khởi Street, the old rue Catinat, ends and the river begins.

1Mr Hỏa's hotel

It was opened in 1925 by the company of Hui Bon Hoa, known in Saigon as “chú Hỏa”, “Uncle Hỏa”, one of the richest men in the south. He was a merchant of Chinese origin who had made his fortune in trade and, above all, in property: it was said that a good share of the houses in the centre paid him rent. His family residence is now the city's Fine Arts Museum. The original hotel had four floors and 44 rooms, on the corner of the rue Catinat and the river quay.

2From the colony to today

The building changed hands and size several times: it was extended with new floors, and after 1975 it was called the Cửu Long, or “Mekong”, Hotel for a while. Since 1995, renovated, it has been run by the state-owned Saigontourist group. Its rooftop bar is one of the classic viewpoints over the river.

For a century, anyone arriving in Saigon by boat saw this hotel first.

3What to look for

  • The white façade and its porticoed entrance.
  • The corner where Đồng Khởi meets the river.
  • The Saigon River, with its boats and the towers of Thủ Thiêm on the far bank.

Documented

The founding in 1925 by the Hui Bon Hoa house, with 44 rooms, is recorded in colonial company registers and in the hotel's own history.

Oral tradition

The idea that “half of Saigon” paid rent to Uncle Hỏa is a popular saying that exaggerates a real fortune.

Sources and credits

Hotel Majestic Saigon, “Our history” (majesticsaigon.com); Entreprises coloniales françaises, “Saigon Majestic” file; Saigoneer, “Old Saigon Building of the Week: Hotel Majestic Saigon”.

Photos:

  • Hotel Majestic Saigon, a white colonial-style building facing the river, with a skyscraper behind: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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