The popular Ho Chi Minh City Committee building in the city center features well-preserved French colonial architecture that blends in perfectly with the scenic landscape of the surrounding park. Originally built as a hotel in 1898 by French architect Gardes, it now serves as the town hall. One of the city's most famous landmarks, it has three buildings with intricate statues and reliefs on the walls, as well as a statue of the founder of North Vietnamese Ho Chi Minh in front of the main building.