These old fashioned and elegant wooden slat windows are part of a hotel built as recently as 2005, but pay a nod to the country’s colonial history.
The euphoria of ushering in the New Year is slowly, but surely dying down, well intentioned New Year resolutions are weakening and before we know it, we’ve already completed two weeks of 2019! So before it’s too late, let me begin by wishing all of you and your loved ones a very happy and productive New Year.
If most of you are like me, then you too are having holiday withdrawal symptoms. It’s only natural as holidays are that time of the year when there are no to-do lists, and the only agenda is to relax and have fun. During this Christmas break, my family and I made a trip to Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it’s now known). Prior to our trip, I hurriedly brushed up on my history of the Vietnam war. One quick tip, in Vietnam, the war is called the American resistance war. I was most curious to see the intricate labyrinth of the Cu Chi tunnels and was awestruck by the sheer tenacity of the Vietnamese people, who have seen so much of political upheaval and suffering.
Among all the other sights and sounds, what really caught my attention in Vietnam was the beautiful and elegant Indochine furniture.
Indochine style is a fusion of Vietnamese and French style, and this can be seen throughout the country in the colonial villas, tree lined boulevards, especially in the French quarters of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
To take you back a bit, the Treaty of Saigon started the French Colonization in Vietnam in 1862 and until the Geneva Accord of 1954, Vietnam was part of French Indochina, a colonial possession which also included Laos and Cambodia. During 83 years of its colonization, the French not only imposed their political systems in Vietnam, but also significantly influenced the cultural scenario, ranging from architecture and cuisine to religion and art.
In Ho Chi Minh, my family and I stayed in the heart of its French quarter overlooking the elegant Opera House and within easy walking distance of the Reunification Palace and the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. These well preserved buildings transported us to another era and give us a peek into the city’s French colonial past with it’s stylish French façades, wooden slat windows, teak wooden floors and inspired Indochine furniture.
What did I get back for you from my trip you ask? These pictures of exquisite side boards and display cabinets – classic examples of Indochine furniture that blends French structure with Vietnamese motifs. Feast your eyes, mon amour!
