Continental Saigon

The Hotel Continental Saigon is situated on Dong Khoi, one of the oldest and most central roads in Saigon.  In the old days, Saigon’s roads were simply named by ordinal numbers.  Starting from the Saigon River bank, Dong Khoi was the Sixth Road. 

In 1865, the French Commander De La Grandiere renamed these roads and Sixth Road became Catinat Street, a bustling place, especially during the French Colonial Era."Catinat Street" at one time was a very bustling and crowded place, especially with the French. Later on, across the street from the Continental the first foundations and floors for factories were built, the first one for Denis Frere. Next was the first drugstore in Saigon, the “Solinere Pharmaceutical,” which opened in 1865.

In 1878, Pierre Cazeau, a home-appliance and construction material manufacturer, started building the Hotel Continental with the purpose of providing the French traveler, a French style of luxury accommodation after a long cruise to the new continent. This project took 2 years, and in 1880 the “Hotel Continental” was inaugurated.