Yesterday I\u2019d mentioned that I lived on Tu Do Street when I was in Saigon. It was, and still is, the most historic street in Saigon. It\u2019s original name was Rue Catinat (the French seem to always attach rue to the names \u2014 I think basically means street or road.) Anyhow, the street was home to the city\u2019s most famous hotels, restaurants, bars, boutiques and retail establishments. It was named for Nicolas Catinat, a French military officer between the 17th and 18th century.<\/p>\n
The street has undergone two name changes in the relatively recent past. Between 1955 and 1975, during the Vietnamese War, it was known as Tu Do Street. That translates into Freedom Street. Once South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam it was changed to D\u00f2ng Kh\u00f2i that translates to General Insurrection or Total Uprising Street.<\/p>\n
So the street, as well as Vietnam, has gone through a lot of changes through the years\u2026 Saigon is now Ho Chi Minh City and Tu Do is now D\u00f2ng Kh\u00f2i \u2014 but I guess I\u2019ll always remember it as Tu Do Street.
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Yesterday I\u2019d mentioned that I lived on Tu Do Street when I was in Saigon. It was, and still is, the most historic street in Saigon. It\u2019s original name was Rue Catinat (the French seem to always attach rue to … Continue reading