Lê Duẩn Boulevard

Lê Duẩn Boulevard
Le Duan Boulevard in 2023
Native nameĐường Lê Duẩn, Đại lộ Lê Duẩn (Vietnamese)
Former name(s)Norodom Boulevard
Thong Nhut Boulevard
April 30 Boulevard
OwnerHo Chi Minh City
LocationDistrict 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Coordinates10°46′51″N 106°41′57″E / 10.780915°N 106.699078°E / 10.780915; 106.699078
Southwest endNam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street
Major
junctions
Northeast endNguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Street

Lê Duẩn Boulevard (Vietnamese: Đường Lê Duẩn / Đại lộ Lê Duẩn) is a boulevard in District 1, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The boulevard stretches from Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street, right across from the Independence Palace, to Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Street, right across from the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.[1][2]

The offices of the United States Consulate General, British Consulate General, France Consulate General, Netherlands Consulate General and German Consulate General are located on this boulevard.

History

The boulevard Norodom in the 1920s

Lê Duẩn Boulevard, initially named boulevard Norodom, is one of Saigon's first five boulevards that were built by the French.[3] According to scholar Vuong Hong Sen, the boulevard was opened in 1872, following the completion of the Saigon Governor's Palace.[4]

Initially, the boulevard was quite short, stretching only from the palace to rue Catinat. It was then extended in two stages: first as far as rue de Bangkok (present-day Mạc Đĩnh Chi Street) and then all the way to the Botanical and Zoological Gardens.[5][6]

In 1955, following the departure of the French, boulevard Norodom was renamed Thống Nhứt Boulevard by the South Vietnamese government of Ngô Đình Diệm.[7]

In August 1975, after the Fall of Saigon, the boulevard was renamed April 30 Boulevard by the Provisional Revolutionary Government. Then in 1986, it was renamed again to Lê Duẩn Boulevard to commemorate the Vietnam Communist Party General Secretary Lê Duẩn, who passed earlier that year.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Map of Ho Chi Minh City". HCM CityWeb. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  2. ^ Arrowood, Janet (2009). Vietnam Travel Adventures. Hunter Publishing, Inc. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  3. ^ Trung Sơn (2018-02-19). "Năm đại lộ đầu tiên của Sài Gòn xưa". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  4. ^ Vương, Hồng Sển (1969). Sài Gòn năm xưa (in Vietnamese). Nhà sách Khai Trí. p. 119. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  5. ^ Doling, Tim (10 August 2015). "Saigon's Famous Streets and Squares: Lê Duẩn Street". Saigoneer. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. ^ Cochinchine française (1887). Procès-verbaux du Conseil colonial (Session ordinaire 1886–1887) (in French). Saigon: Imprimerie coloniale. p. 198. Archived from the original on 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  7. ^ a b Guillaume, Xavier; Guillaume, Marie-Christine (2004). La Terre du Dragon – Tome I (in French). Paris: Publibook. p. 59. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  8. ^ Trần, Quỳnh (2017-03-12). "Những con đường Sài Gòn thay đổi sau gần nửa thế kỷ". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2022-05-29. Retrieved 2023-10-16.