The Caravel Hotel is located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The hotel was opened to the public on Christmas Eve 1959, when the city was known as Saigon. Contemporary journalists noted its use of Italian marble, bullet-proof glass and a “state-of-the-art air-conditioning system and a Berliet private generator.”

The hotel’s modern design was the work of a Vietnamese architect, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, a graduate of Ecole Superior des Beaux Arts in Hanoi. (Ref: "Caravel-Saigon, A History" by VHSG, Saigon Culture Publishing House, 2009) The original ten-story building is now adjoined to a 24-story tower that forms the bulk of the new property. However, the iconic Saigon Bar has changed little since 1959.

On Christmas Eve 1959, The Caravelle Hotel was inaugurated in a festival with free silver trayed canapés, vintage Champagne, and affability. In fact, the hotel had opened in seven months before, at that time a local newspaper related to public the use of Italian marble and bullet-proof glass. Contemporary reporter also noted its installation of a “stated-of-the-art air-conditioning system and a Berliet private generator”.