Former U.S. Embassy
Former U.S. Embassy
3.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
46 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
7
Average
13
Poor
2
Terrible
6
Steve
6 contributions
Jan 2020
For me this was fascinating to visit as I am very much interested in history. To be able to stand at the same spot of that famous photograph and imagine the scene as it was with all the emotion of the people involved was very evocative.
It was easy to find per the pictures and instructions in this thread and a tip to the guard secured entry.
I was surprised the building is still standing and would recommend a visit soon as I'm sure, given development in Ho Chi Minh, that it is only a matter of time before the site is redeveloped and will be lost forever.
It was easy to find per the pictures and instructions in this thread and a tip to the guard secured entry.
I was surprised the building is still standing and would recommend a visit soon as I'm sure, given development in Ho Chi Minh, that it is only a matter of time before the site is redeveloped and will be lost forever.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Perry B
Sydney, Australia2,589 contributions
Aug 2019
We loved visiting the former Embassy. It is one of the most fascinating buildings on the planet, largely due to its history. Built in 1963 after the coup d'etat and torching of its predecessor, its architecture reflects the exigencies Cold War paranoia and that particular historical moment nad time of confusion for the american Imperium. The elevators seemed to be straight out of "Get Smart"; thick, lead-lined reinforced doors et al. I kept looking around for Max, 99, the Chief and Larrabee! The shop here was also excellent and reasonably-priced with very friendly and pleasant staff.
Written March 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TrentJamesPetersen
New York City, NY2 contributions
Jan 2020
Thank you to everyone working at the U.S. Consulate of Ho Chi Minh City. I came in on January 30th, 2020 to get an; invitation letter, income statement, and copy of passport & copy of Drivers License Notarized for a friend who I invited to visit me in New York City. Thank you to Mr. Cullop for your notary, kindness, and direction in getting notary to be valid in Vietnam. Thank you for everyone else who helped me at the Consulate. I was in a rush because I had to catch a flight to South Korea two days later, and the Consulate was so helpful and made things easy. My friend who I invited visited me in New York City March 4th-13th and returned to Vietnam on March 15th, 2020 We were able to do all tourist attractions before COVID19 put the world on pause. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!! I have seen many reviews that are not as kind as mine and my advice to anyone applying for visa. BE PREPARED, follow the guidelines and processes laid out by the Consulate because they are fair and professional. Thank you to everyone, including Security. Please stay safe and I wish you all the best of health and prosperity. -Trent Petersen
Written May 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mcrowley
Belmont, MA13 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
The former embassy is now the U.S. consulate and it's not the site of the iconic helicopter evacuation photo. To visit that site, you need to go to 22 Lý Tự Trọng, which during the war was an CIA safe house and the Pittman apartments, and hope that you have an amenable security guard. The security guard I met wanted 100,000 VND, about $4, to let me have a look at the rooftop evacuation area, which is now the site of a defunct rooftop bar. Well worth the visit though.
Written July 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobertLa32859
Pasadena, CA73 contributions
Dec 2015
There's a popular misconception, during the fall of Saigon that US helicopters airlifted (Air America) people from the rooftop of the embassy. The CIA had designated several spots around the city, except for US Embassy.
I took the photo to the right early today. This is 22 Ly Tu Trong, which is half a mile away from the former embassy, and the housing for the elevator-shaft, that served as the landing pad which was immortalized by (the photo on the left) photographer Hubert Van Es on April 29, 1973.
So if you want to see a historical spot about the fall of Saigon, there are several Air America designated areas around the city. The former US Embassy is not one them.
I took the photo to the right early today. This is 22 Ly Tu Trong, which is half a mile away from the former embassy, and the housing for the elevator-shaft, that served as the landing pad which was immortalized by (the photo on the left) photographer Hubert Van Es on April 29, 1973.
So if you want to see a historical spot about the fall of Saigon, there are several Air America designated areas around the city. The former US Embassy is not one them.
Written December 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tim E
Chandler’s Ford, UK6 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
Finding this site was difficult. I found the entrance to the building opposite the Vincom building (H & M) at 22 Ly Tu Trong. If you walk through the entrance to the car park at the rear and speak to the security guard (he may ask for a fee of 100,000 VND ) he will direct you to the lift which takes you to the 9th floor. This is the place where the evacuation of some Americans and Vietnamese took place shown in the famous photo of the Air America huey perched on top of the elevator shaft and a dreadful line of South Vietnamese people climbing up a ladder to reach the helicopter . If you want to get a good photo of the building then go to Notre Dame square and look towards the Vincom building where it can be seen clearly.(see photo)
Written August 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hugo L
Hong Kong, China19 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
As i am interested in the Vietnam war I was curious to see the location of the US embassy. As it happened my hotel was directly opposite the site. As we all know, the old building was demolished and a smaller low key building was built in it's place. But it was still interesting to me to see the location and imagine the feeling of those trying to escape. To imagine the helicopters landing one after the other in the grounds and then the poor people left behind as the last helicopter left the roof top area with the last embassy staff.
The famous photo of the family climbing the metal steps is not the Embassy, that was the house of a South Vietnamese official who asked the Americans to get his family out.
If you like war history the HCM has it all.
The famous photo of the family climbing the metal steps is not the Embassy, that was the house of a South Vietnamese official who asked the Americans to get his family out.
If you like war history the HCM has it all.
Written August 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Likestoeat1234
Vancouver, Canada56 contributions
Jan 2019 • Couples
This is not the U.S. Embasy roof, the whole misunderstanding stems from an unknown news agency mis-captioning the photo took by Dutch news photographer, Hubert van Es, then working for the UPI. The building was called the Pittmen Building, or the Pittman Apartments, located at 22 Gia Long Street, now 22 Ly Trong Street. It was occupied by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), likely a CIA front. In 1975 the CIA Deputy Station Chief lived on top, the bottom floors was used as apartments for the USAID staff. The famous van Es photo depicted the evacation of Vietnam employees and families of the CIA. The helicopter in the photo was a Huey operated by Air America, another CIA operation in the Operation Frequent Wind. You can visit the building by just walking in and take the elevator to the 9th floor, then walk up one flight to the roof, if the watchman/secirity man challenges you, give him 100,000 dongs (about US$4.30) and he will be quite happy to leave you to it. But there is nothing to mark this place as anything significant in history, in fact, when I was there there were people living in the first seven floor, the top two floors apprear to be in bad repairs. For the historians this is an important site for the Vietnam War (the locals called it the American War).
Written January 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geoffm585
Bangkok37 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
These photos are the CIA Chief’s Residential complex in 1975, not the US Embassy. Detail from Wikipedia and other sources; As communist troops closed in on Saigon at the end of April 1975, shelling had rendered Tan Son Nhat Airport unusable. The evacuation of US personnel and Vietnamese officials had to be carried out by choppers. This seriously limited the scale of the evacuation and meant that many Vietnamese were left behind.
The building at 22 Ly Tu Trong (formerly Gia Long) in downtown Saigon, was the residence of Thomas Polgar, the Saigon station chief for the C.I.A. He helped lead the evacuation effort, lifting people over fences and destroying files. Just before Mr. Polgar destroyed the cable-sending machine the agency had used to communicate, just before he boarded a helicopter himself, he took a moment to type a last dispatch.
“This will be final message from Saigon station,” Mr. Polgar wrote. “It has been a long and hard fight and we have lost.
Today the site is unmarked, Tom Polgar’s 9th floor (top) apartment abandoned. I paid the guard 100,000, navigated the dark corridors and up the single lift, wandered the terrace, scrambled up the ladder...knocked on the door...all was empty and quiet....as close as I could get to 1975....
The building at 22 Ly Tu Trong (formerly Gia Long) in downtown Saigon, was the residence of Thomas Polgar, the Saigon station chief for the C.I.A. He helped lead the evacuation effort, lifting people over fences and destroying files. Just before Mr. Polgar destroyed the cable-sending machine the agency had used to communicate, just before he boarded a helicopter himself, he took a moment to type a last dispatch.
“This will be final message from Saigon station,” Mr. Polgar wrote. “It has been a long and hard fight and we have lost.
Today the site is unmarked, Tom Polgar’s 9th floor (top) apartment abandoned. I paid the guard 100,000, navigated the dark corridors and up the single lift, wandered the terrace, scrambled up the ladder...knocked on the door...all was empty and quiet....as close as I could get to 1975....
Written March 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken (haileythegolden)
Edmonton, Canada3,437 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
This location was close to our hotel. Reflecting on the historical nature of this site brings a lot of emotions. Hard to imagine what the people of Saigon went through during those years.
Written April 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
24 Ly Tu Trong Street. Opposite the Vincom centre. Best view of the top of the building is standing on the side of the Vincom centre on Dong Khoi street.
Written December 6, 2018
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