The Vietnamese Narrative with Nhan Phan
Episode 6: Saigon 1 - The Saigon Post Office
The Saigon Post Office is one of the most famous building works in Saigon, carrying significant historical meaning and evidence of the development of Saigon urban society into Western models of urbanity (more specifically French). The repurposed post office reflects the intersectionality in the ways Saigoneers reflect the change in the city and is indicative of the change within the Vietnamese narrative. The post office seemingly lies within the intersection between “the old ways” versus “the new ways”: though the post office function doesn’t change for it is still a post office, to locals, it has been transformed into something that is not previously known: a commercial, tourist destination. But what is interesting about this story is whether or not Saigon locals embrace “the new ways.” Moreover, The 4.0 generation, trumped by new technology and innovation, has removed whatever semblance of tradition that is left in the post office. But in some ways, too, there are still remnants of the past life of the post office present in the forms of food vendors and their stories. This sense of longingness for tradition is what makes the Vietnamese narrative worth investigating.
The Saigon Post Office is one of the most famous building works in Saigon, carrying significant historical meaning and evidence of the development of Saigon urban society into Western models of urbanity (more specifically French). The repurposed post office reflects the intersectionality in the ways Saigoneers reflect the change in the city and is indicative of the change within the Vietnamese narrative. The post office seemingly lies within the intersection between “the old ways” versus “the new ways”: though the post office function doesn’t change for it is still a post office, to locals, it has been transformed into something that is not previously known: a commercial, tourist destination. But what is interesting about this story is whether or not Saigon locals embrace “the new ways.” Moreover, The 4.0 generation, trumped by new technology and innovation, has removed whatever semblance of tradition that is left in the post office. But in some ways, too, there are still remnants of the past life of the post office present in the forms of food vendors and their stories. This sense of longingness for tradition is what makes the Vietnamese narrative worth investigating.