Caravelle Hotel

Caravelle Hotel Saigon
Khách sạn Caravelle Sài Gòn
Caravelle Hotel, the expansion 1998 24-storey building on the left, and original 10-storey one on the right
Former names
  • Grand Cafe de la Terrasse (Late 19th century)
  • Independence Hotel (Khách sạn Độc Lập, 1975-1992)
General information
StatusCompleted
Architectural style
Address19-21-23 Lam Sơn Square, Bến Nghé Ward
Town or cityDistrict 1, Ho Chi Minh City
CountryVietnam
Coordinates10°46′34″N 106°42′13″E / 10.776062°N 106.703631°E / 10.776062; 106.703631
Current tenants
Named forSud Aviation Caravelle
Groundbreaking1957
OpenedDecember 24, 1959 (1959-12-24)
RenovatedOctober 1992
OwnerSaigontourist
LandlordChains-Caravelle (joint venture between Saigontourist and Chains International Hotels Management Singapore Pte. Ltd)
Technical details
Floor count
  • 10 (1959)
  • 24 (1998)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Nguyễn Văn Hòa
Other information
Number of rooms335
Public transit accessL1 Opera House station
Website
Caravelle Hotel Saigon

The Caravelle Hotel Saigon is located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The hotel was opened to the public on Christmas Eve 1959, when the city was known as Saigon. It was named after the Sud Aviation Caravelle, a jet airliner operated by the hotel's owner Air France at that time.

Contemporary journalists noted its use of Italian marble, bullet-proof glass and a "state-of-the-art air-conditioning system and a Berliet private generator."

The hotel’s modern design was the work of a Vietnamese architect, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, a graduate of École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Hanoi.

The original ten-story building is now adjoined to a 24-story tower that forms the bulk of the new property. However, the Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar has changed little since 1959.

Caravelle Hotel is owned by the state-owned Saigon Tourist Co.