Paris Commune Square (Saigon) Explained

Paris Commune Square (vi|Công trường Công xã Paris) is a small square located in District 1, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It lies between Lê Duẩn Boulevard and Nguyễn Du Street and surrounds the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon. This is also the starting point of the famous Đồng Khởi Street. The square is surrounded by two remarkable architectural works: Notre-Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office. As the central post office is nearby, the square is also marked as the city's kilometre zero.

History

The square was originally named Place de la Cathédrale (roughly translated "Cathedral Square") dated back to the French colonial period.^[1] In 1903, the colonial government erected a bronze statue of French Catholic priest Pigneau de Behaine and juvenile Prince Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh^[2] in the center of the garden in front of the cathedral, and the square is thus known as place Pigneau de Béhaine. It was brought down in October 1945^[3] leaving behind an empty statue pedestal. There was no statue on the site until 1959 under the First Republic of Vietnam, when a new statue of Our Lady of Peace (vi|Tượng Đức Bà Hòa Bình) was erected in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.^[4] The square itself was called Hòa Bình Square (vi|Công trường Hòa Bình, literally "Peace Square"). In May 1964, the South Vietnamese government renamed it President John F. Kennedy Square (vi|Công trường Tổng thống John F. Kennedy) honoring the assassinated U.S. President.^[5] After the Fall of Saigon, the square was renamed Vietnamese: Công trường Công xã Paris (literally means "Paris Commune Square") by the Provisional Revolutionary Government.

Notes and References

1. Book: The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Sian, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, &c: With which are Incorporated "The China Directory" and "The Hong Kong List for the Far East" . Hong Kong Daily Press Office . 1909 . 1151.
2. Book: Vietnam Business Magazine . Ministry of Commerce (Vietnam) . 1998 . 8 . 24.
3. Book: Saigon: Mistress of the Mekong : an Anthology. Edwards, Anastasia. Oxford University Press. 166. 9780195906028. 2003.
4. Book: Hỏi đáp về Sài Gòn Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh [Questions and Answers About Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City]. 6. 2006. 121. Nhà xuất bản Trẻ. Vietnamese.
5. News: Saigon Honors Kennedy, Square Named For Him. The New York Times. 31 May 1964. 30 July 2019.