Tip from Mei Time
This French-built apartment block dates back to 1886. It now contains cafes, bars, boutiques, and restaurants. The building has a charming, unpretentious feel with greenery.
📍 14 Tôn Thất Đạm, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
The Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is a mixed-use residential and commercial building on Tôn Thất Đạm street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. This historic building, which dates to the French colonial era, now contains a collection of independent businesses. Its entrance sits within a small alleyway leading into a central courtyard. The building houses numerous cafés, bars, restaurants, and fashion boutiques.
The structure retains many of its original architectural features. Its interior consists of a network of corridors, stairwells, and mezzanine levels. The building’s common areas show visible signs of age. Businesses occupy former residential apartments across its multiple floors. These independent establishments attract a diverse clientele. Some well-known tenants include Mockingbird Cafe, Hoàng Thị Cafe, and the cocktail bar Refined Saigon.
The building is also a hub for small fashion retailers. Shops like OwlFox and Bụi Shop operate from renovated apartment units. These stores offer vintage-inspired and contemporary clothing. The building’s collection of businesses creates a varied commercial environment. It stands in contrast to the modern office towers in the surrounding financial district. The site is notable for its concentration of artisanal and creative enterprises.
Residential apartments are still present within the complex. A small number of long-term residents continue to live in the building. This mix of commercial and residential use contributes to its unique character. The building’s central courtyard and layered structure provide a distinct setting. It remains a functional piece of the city’s architectural history.
The Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is located at 14 Tôn Thất Đạm, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam.
The Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is a hub for independent businesses, including various cafés, bars, restaurants, and fashion boutiques.
Yes, the Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is a mixed-use building and still contains residential apartments where long-term residents live alongside commercial enterprises.
The Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is a historic French colonial-era structure, retaining many of its original architectural features and a network of corridors, stairwells, and mezzanine levels.
The entrance to the Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is situated within a small alleyway that leads into its central courtyard.
Well-known tenants within the Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building include Mockingbird Cafe, Hoàng Thị Cafe, and the cocktail bar Refined Saigon, among others.
Yes, the Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is home to several fashion retailers like OwlFox and Bụi Shop, which offer vintage-inspired and contemporary clothing.
The Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is unique for its blend of historic French colonial architecture, its diverse mix of independent commercial businesses, and its ongoing residential use, creating a distinctive commercial environment.
Yes, the building's common areas display visible signs of age, which contributes to its character as a functional piece of the city's architectural history.
Yes, the Tôn Thất Đạm Apartment Building is centrally located in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, standing near modern office towers in the financial district.