Francis Garnier
Francis Garnier , born on July 25th, 1839 in Saint Etienne, was a naval officer and French explorer. After completion of the Naval Academy in 1857 he traveled to Brazil and the South Seas. He set off for China in 1860 and remained there for 2 years. Assigned to Admiral Leonard Victor Charner, he took part in the capture of Peking in October of 1860. He returned to Cochin China in 1863 and was put in charge of the administration of the city of Cholon.
He would continue his explorations of the upper Mekong watershed. He had spent several months exploring Yunnan and Tibet alone when he was recalled by Rear-Admiral Dupré, then Governor of Cochin China, for a pacification operation in Tonkin, and arrived in Hanoi in November of 1873.
He would be killed and decapitated on December 21st, 1873, during an attack on the Pavillions Noirs, (a group of Chinese Irregulars operating in Indochina against the French).
Francis Garnier Square
or Theatre Square
in 1955 Lê Loi Lam Son Square
Photos taken from the Municipal Theater.
Photos taken from the corner of the Bonard Boulevard and Charner Boulevard.
The first prize in a drawing:
A Renault Prairie Colorale
on Francis Garnier Square.
French soldiers posing before the grand prize of a drawing in 1951:
A Renault Prairie-Colorale (a contraction of the words COLOniale and ruRALE).
Corner of the Garnier Square
Left to right in the photo: The Saigon Grocery Store, the shopping gallery, the “Brasserie de la Paix”, the Havas agency, and the Givral café.
Saigon Grocery Store
Grocery Lien Seng
After 1955
Daco
Daco Jewelry Brasserie de la Paix
18, Francis Garnier Square
Old woman sweeps away the leaves in front of some modern French buildings . Havas Far-East
Havas Far-East
Vietnameses students
Vietnameses students on Francis Garnier Square Mai 25 1953. Francis Garnier Square
Thanh Bach Restaurant
In the beginning of the sixties, the Thanh restaurant was located near the Vinh Cinema on Lê Loi Street (formerly Garnier Square), and was frequented by Vietnamese youth; the other restaurant on this street was the Kim Son. Westerners at this time preferred the establishments on Tu Do Street (formerly Catinat Street), such as Brodart, Givral, The Pagoda, and of course The Continental. Eugène Dassier - Import - Export
Eugène Dassier -SEMI Agent - Import - Export |
Corner of
Lê Loi
Corner of the Catinat Street
The Solirène Pharmacy
On the right in the photo, the Solirène Pharmacy was built in 1879 and closed its doors in 1950, to give way to a five-story apartment building and the creation of “Le Givral” restaurant. Known by all the war correspondants from 1950 to 1975, it was located across from the famous Hotel Continental. 1950 construction
Givral
"Givral: A treat unmatched... "
Catinat Novelties
Old house ... Good Reputation! Corner of the Francis Garnier Square
Across from the Saigon Grocery Store was the Saigon Garage Havas, the Simca specialist for South Vietnam.
Saigon Garage
(S.E.I.C.) "Saigon Garage"
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Lê Loi Street (formely Francis Garnier Square)
between Tu Do and Nguyễn Huệ in the 60's
ARVN War Memorial
The ARVN Marines statue was located right in front of the National Assembly or today's Municipal Theater on Lê Loi.
It was toppled after 1975 and replaced by the statue of mother and child.
Pigneau de Behaine Square
Cathedral of Notre Dame
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The Bishopric of 
TheBishhop of Adran
Monsignor Pigneau de Béhaine, Bishop of Adran with Prince Canh in the 18th century. This statue was on Notre Dame Cathedral Square during the French period in Vietnam.
Marriage at the
Celebration of the marriage of Mr. and miss Lesponne Andrée Bernard in the Cathedral of Notre Dame on Saturday, April 19, 1952. |
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Foray Square The Boy Landry Company
Near the Theater at 15-17 Foray Square (formerly Theater Square) is located the "Boy Landry".
Au Baccara
165, Testard Street (Trân-quy-Cap)
Come and relax at the Baccara Night Club
Auberge du Vieux-Moulin
Chef Jean Riot
La Cigale
The best Saigon evening during the sixties.
Restaurant la Paix
Restaurant La Paix (Hoa-Binh). Lavande
Lacquered art works, ivory, antiques from China, silk-painting.
A la bonne fourchette
A la bonne fourchette |
The Post Office :
The main Post Office was built in 1891 by Alfred Foulhoux and Henri Vildieu. It represents the link with the metropolis (Paris). At the beginning of colonialisation its role is even greater: the telegraph plays a determining role in the transmission of military orders and the coordination of operations.
Good addresses in
Diem-Le
117-b, Lê Thanh Tôn Au Printemps
164, Gia Long Street Kitchener Boulevard
Kitchener Boulevard's bus station
On the road to Cauonglanh Grall Hospital 14, Bên Viên Nhi Dông Hai Street
Clinique Saint-Paul
280, Legrand de la Liraye Street French
38, Thevenel Street The Carpriccio 
Restaurant - Bar The Trung sisters
The Trung sisters, known in Vietnamese as Hai Bà Trung (literally "the 2 Trung ladies").
This statue was turned down on November 1st, 1963, because it was a favorite of Madame Nhu (Tran Lê Xuân). |
Farewell to Eden Passage and Givral Restaurant in 2010
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