US Embassy Planters

It was quite a number of months back, when I first moved to Saigon that I found myself getting absorbed in any history of the place (one of my habits regardless of where I live).

I remember being particularly interested in of all things: planters. These were no normal planters though.

First, they were located in the U.S. Embassy grounds up until 1968.

Secondly, they played a pivotal role in the Tet Offensive that occurred that year. When NLF forces broke through the wall and entered the courtyard of the Embassy grounds, these planters chosen for their aestheticism, quickly became sufficient barriers between the military police and marine security guards and the Vietnamese invaders that hid underneath them.

Lastly, these planters were rightly moved out of the Embassy to prevent future attacks from prevailing as long as they did and were placed in a park.



I received all this information in my reading (though unfortunately cannot find the source at the moment); all but the location of the park where the planters were moved.

Not having this trivial bit of information really bothered me for some unexplainable reason. So for the past few years every time I’ve driven past a park I haven’t gone by before I’ve scanned the landscape looking for these planters. I barely remembered it months afterwards and now it only comes to mind at strange times.

However today as I was browsing online I stumbled upon a website entitled “Saigon Development and Construction.” The blog itself is dedicated to construction projects in the city and it’s very good. But what really got me was a set of pictures the author took in 1996 ( http://newsaigon.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/old-saigon/ ). There on Nguyen Hue street, right smack in the median is one of those planters!



So the planters survived a good many number of years more. The new frustration? As far as my memory recalls those planters aren’t there now...so where did they go next? To some dump? To another park? To the lawns of People's Committee officials? Perhaps I’ll never know. But I’m happy to know where their home was for a little while.

Update (January 2012): They are still there! Just shrouded in a bit of shrubbery. Pictures coming soon.

Quân Khu 7

As far as I can trace back Quân Khu 7 has always served a military purpose.

It was built up on the sparse lands surrounding the airport and reached its heyday when American assistance began pouring into Vietnam.  The land itself used to be much bigger than the current plot as far as I've read, including the old Saigon golf course (which is now Gia Định Park).  The land is encircled by Phổ Quang, Hồ Văn Huê, and Hoàng Văn Thụ Streets.

Inside are broad boulevards and tree lined streets that certainly look beautiful if only they were accessible. The land itself served as the Joint General Staff Headquarters prior to 1975.  All branches of the South Vietnamese military had a presence here.  It was also one of the last strongholds to resist on April 30.  

The most prominent feature of the base is the main entrance on  Hoàng Văn Thụ.  Travel to the airport and you'll go right past it.  It still has bunker surroundings on both sides and a distinct 1960's design on the gate.  

Surprisingly I noticed they were doing some work on the gate the other day which may drastically change the look which has remained the same for probably 50 years or more.  It'll be interesting to see the transformation.

Photo taken by one Mr. Hoggard

Present Day