Caravelle is the top 5-star Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. In the past, this used to be the place where the US CBS station used to set up offices and only powerful giants could hold weddings at this 5-star hotel. Let’s explore Caravelle hotels in District 1 Saigon under the following article.

Caravelle Hotels in District 1 Saigon is attached to the ups and downs of the city

Opened during the Christmas season of 1959, the Caravelle Hotel was famous for a long time, at the height of the Vietnam War. International journalists stand from the hotel terrace on the 10th floor, can observe the protests, and coups taking place in front of the National Assembly, now the Opera House; or the Independence Palace, now the Reunification Palace.

After observing, journalists can use the stairs to go to their offices, which are rented on a long-term basis inside the hotel or in nearby hotels, to write reports and send them back to the newsrooms or newspapers. stations in New York, London, or Tokyo.

At that time, the American television station CBS located an office in Caravelle Hotels in District 1 Saigon, the image was recorded on plastic tape. Every time a story is recorded for broadcast, the station has someone holding a box of plastic films and rushes to Tan Son Nhat airport, sending the film box to the nearest flight of Pan Am or United to bring back to the US. When the flight lands in Los Angeles or San Francisco, someone from the TV station will come out to receive the film box and quickly take it out to process, wash, print, print, edit, and broadcast as soon as possible.

On average, a war report in Vietnam is as fast as 24 hours before it appears on the TV of American families. At that time, such a time gap was considered modern, and American television stations competed hourly and minutely to bring breaking battlefield news to American families with children. I fought in Vietnam.

Now that’s not the case, with digital media and with the Internet, audiences can stream what’s happening halfway around the world right on the screen of a TV or laptop.

Back to the Caravelle story, in the 1960s, only the rich or the powerful were able to organize a wedding for themselves or their children at this hotel. Such a wedding will certainly be discussed by the public.

In April 1960, 18 Southern intellectuals held a press conference at the Caravelle Hotel to publicly confirm that they were an opposition group to the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem and issued a manifesto calling on the Government to there are reforms. When Colonel Nguyen Chanh Thi’s coup broke out in November of that year, this group of intellectuals voiced their support. The coup then failed, all members of this group were arrested, and henceforth the name Caravelle group. Thanks to this case, people in the South became more acquainted with such names as Phan Khac Suu, Tran Van Huong, Tran Van Van, Phan Huy Quat…

In 1975, Caravelle changed its name to Independence, and the name faded, as city dwellers struggled with bobo or padded fillings. In October 1992, Saigon Tourist partnered with a company from Hong Kong and Singapore and reused the Caravelle name with the intention of reviving the hotel’s heyday. In line with the renovation policy, in 1998, the hotel’s management board refurbished all 10 floors from the inside out and built an adjacent building, 24 floors high.

Business meeting point

In recent years, Caravelle Hotel has continuously improved to maintain its position as one of the top 10 hotels in the city and one of the top 100 hotels in the world. Room rates here range from $280 to $1,200 a night. Notably, many businessmen in Saigon have so far confirmed that the Saigon Saigon rooftop bar is still the most interesting meeting place for friends and partners; Or simply to relax after a working day. Many tourists who have been to Saigon before 1975 also praised Caravelle… just like when it first opened the 1959 Christmas season and lasted until today: there is still a live band playing American music almost every night…

Perhaps also need to boast: once again, the bartenders of Caravelle raised their glasses to congratulate the victory when bartender Ho Hoang Huy of Bar Saigon Saigon brilliantly overcame 46 competitors to claim the title of champion at the Bartender contest. Mixxit Master Vietnam 2011. In a week of competition, Huy really impressed the audience as well as the judges to reach the final round of the category “Creative with Cocktails and Flair” with participation. of many talented candidates from famous restaurants and hotels across the country. His excellent performance was highly appreciated by an international panel of experts, including Mr. Jeremy Merkel – Mixer of Beam Global, and Mr. Manual Terron – Midori’s Global Brand Ambassador and President Australian Bartenders Association.

This is not the first victory that Bar Saigon Saigon’s excellent bartenders have achieved. In May 2011, another bartender, Dinh Quang Nam, also surpassed more than 100 competitors in the competition “Hofex Show” – one of the leading travel fairs in Asia. Dinh Quang Nam has surpassed many representatives of leading hotels, resorts, and nightclubs in the region to win the runner-up position in the cocktail competition in Hong Kong.

Not only is the cradle nurturing talents in the field of bartending, Bar Saigon Saigon is also rated as one of the 10 interesting entertainment spots of Ho Chi Minh City – “Ho Chi Minh City Program Award 100 Interesting Things” by the Department of Food and Drug Administration. Culture, Sports, and Tourism awarded in 2009.

Downstairs, the hotel’s full-fledged dining room is also the destination of many talented actors, because their guests can eat buffet style, with both exotic dishes and both high-class and high-quality services. Saigon street food.

Another view of Caravelle hotels in District 1 Saigon

Mr. Juan Costas Ribas, who used to have 6 years in charge of the culinary department in Caravelle hotels in District 1 Saigon, said: Vietnamese and international guests both enjoy discovering and enjoying the “Vietnamese street food” brought into the luxury hotel… “Serving the needs of local customers is also one of Caravelle’s long-term business strategies,” he said and commented with delight that compared to the past, Vietnamese diners are much more discerning now.

“When using the buffet, they no longer take a lot of food and don’t use it all, which is wasteful like before. Vietnamese people now no longer just like to drink a lot of beer, drink a lot of strong wine. They know how to choose a good wine to drink, which is good for health, good for work and family. Previously, most people only knew French wine, now they prefer to drink American and Chilean wines.

Perhaps thanks to this increase in sophistication, the Caravelle Hotel is now one of the most popular wine-consuming businesses in Saigon. “In the hotel’s inventory are about 90 wine brands from many countries specializing in wine production, from France to Italy, Spain to Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the US and every month guests come to the hotel. consumed no less than 800 bottles of all kinds,” said Mr. Ribas during his time at Caravelle.

You can read the previous article here: Saigon Tourist Attraction: Independence Palace

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