Lam Sơn Square
Urban square in central Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lam Sơn Square (Vietnamese: Công trường Lam Sơn) is the city square surrounding the Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City in Saigon ward, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.[1]
.jpg)
Lam Sơn Square
Công trường Lam Sơn | |
|---|---|
| City square | |
| Former name: Place Augustin Foray | |
Lam Son Square in 2015 | |
| Dedicated to | Lam Sơn uprising |
| Owner | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Location | Saigon ward, Ho Chi Minh City |
 Interactive map of Lam Sơn Square | |
| Coordinates: 10°46′35″N 106°42′11″E | |
The square extends from Đồng Khởi Street to Hai Bà Trưng Street, although it is commonly known for its section in front of the Municipal Theatre's façade, Hotel Continental Saigon and Caravelle Hotel are located.[2][3] The Opera House station of HCMC Metro Line 1 also located in the square side of Đồng Khởi Street. A landscape garden opposite the Opera House main gate on Lê Lợi Boulevard is Lam Sơn Park (Công viên Lam Sơn), it is also a part of the square.
.jpg)
History
.jpg)
The site of the present-day Lam Sơn Square was originally the section of the boulevard Bonard between the rue Catinat and rue Nationale (Hai Bà Trưng Street nowadays). Following the completion of the Municipal Theatre, the square was known as place du Théâtre (Theatre Square), and it was not until 11 January 1935 that the official name, place Augustin Foray, was given after the former mayor of Saigon.[4]
.jpg)
In 1955, place Augustin Foray was renamed Lam Sơn Square by the South Vietnamese government,[5] and the Municipal Theatre became the National Assembly building.
Lam Sơn Square also housed the Brinks Hotel, the building used by the United States Army officers and was bombed by the Viet Cong in 1964. Today, the site is occupied by the Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel, and a memorial to the bombing was erected.[6]
After Vietnam was reunified, the National Assembly building was restored to its original function as a theatre. The square's layout had little change until 2018, when the open space behind the theatre, previously used as a parking lot, was transformed into a landscaped garden.[7]
