Lê Lợi Boulevard (Vietnamese: Đường Lê Lợi) is a boulevard in District 1, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.[1] The boulevard stretches from Đồng Khởi Street, right across from the Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City to the Quách Thị Trang Square (in front of the Bến Thành Market).[2]

Lê Lợi Boulevard
Le Loi Boulevard in 2014
Native nameĐường Lê Lợi, Đại lộ Lê Lợi (Vietnamese)
Former name(s)Boulevard Bonard
OwnerHo Chi Minh City
LocationDistrict 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Nearest metro stationBến Thành station
Opera House station
Coordinates10°46′29″N 106°42′05″E / 10.774851°N 106.701527°E / 10.774851; 106.701527
Northeast endĐồng Khởi Street
Major
junctions
Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard
Pasteur Street
Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street
Nguyễn Trung Trực Street
Southwest endQuách Thị Trang Square
Le Loi Boulevard and the Municipal Theatre in 2023

The Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 runs underneath the boulevard.[3]

History

edit
 
The boulevard Bonard in the 1920s

The history of the boulevard dates back to the 1860s, following the French takeover of Saigon. They ordered the digging of a 800-metre canal with two drainages, the Saigon River (near the Marine barracks) and the arroyo Chinois. One of its main goals was to drain the lower part of Saigon, which was then a pestilential swamp. This waterway was crossed perpendicularly by the "Grand Canal", which later became the Charner Boulevard.[4]

The canal was eventually filled in to create an artery known as "rue n° 13", later changed to boulevard Bonard. The exact time when the canal was filled in is unknown, but it was estimated to be between 1870 and 1880. Initially, the Bonard Boulevard ended at Mac Mahon Street (present-day Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street), and it was not until 1914 that the boulevard was extended to the Central Market.[4]

In 1955, the boulevard was renamed Lê Lợi Boulevard by the government of South Vietnam.[5][6]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Tran, Quynh (August 14, 2022). "Saigon street breathes after metro construction site cleared". VnExpress. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Map of Ho Chi Minh City". HCM CityWeb. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  3. ^ Clark, James (August 12, 2020). "Ho Chi Minh City Metro 2020 construction update". Future Southeast Asia. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Baudrit, André (1943). Guide historique des rues de Saigon. Saigon: S.I.L.I. p. 116. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  5. ^ Corfield, Justin (2014). Historical Dictionary of Ho Chi Minh City. Anthem Press. p. 356. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  6. ^ Guillaume, Xavier; Guillaume, Marie-Christine (2004). La Terre du Dragon – Tome I. Paris: Publibook. p. 59. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
edit