Coffee and colonial culture

HO CHI MINH CITY  Ho Chi Minh City’s Planning and Architecture Department is seeking approval to build a coffee shop in front of the Saigon Central Post Office, one of the top tourist destinations in downtown business district.
Local media said the shop could block part of the façade of the 124-year-old Post Office building, next to Nguyen Van Binh Street and this is worrying heritage lovers.
The shop will cover an area of 500 square metres.
Architectural details and the colour scheme must fit with the look and colours of the Post Office building, the report said.
inside no 3Ho Chi Minh City officials have agreed on a new shade of yellow for the Saigon Central Post Office, which was repainted last December in a colour many slammed as too gaudy.
The Saigon Central Post Office, constructed between 1886 and 1891, became a hot spot for tourists as a reminder of the city’s colonial past, which includes the Notre Dame Cathedral and several other colonial French-style buildings on Dong Khoi and Ly Tu Trong.
In the first eight months of the year, 2.83 million foreigners visited the city, a year-on-year increase of 5%. It earned USD2.76 billion from tourism activities during the period, up 4% year-on-year.

The predicted figures for the whole year are 4.7 million and USD4.21 billion.
In 2014, the city welcomed 22 million tourists, including 4.4 million foreigners, earning more than USD3.9 billion in revenue.
Major tourist markets for the city are the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, France and Singapore.

sourced:ttrweekly.com