The BITEXCO Financial Tower, designed by AREP is an iconic symbol of the development of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam?s economic capital. Housing offices and businesses, the tower asserts its identity through its height and its geometry of taut curves rising up from the dense city below. Located in the heart of the city near the river Saigon, the tower stands at the intersection of three streets (Hai Trieu, Ho Tung Mau and Ngo Duc Ke).
Photography: T. Chapuis
Ho Chi Minh Tower Form
Shaped like a huge leaf curled in on itself and opening out to the sky, the tower evokes both nature and traditional architecture and objects made from assembled or woven plant material. The tower?s complex geometry consists of inclined cylinders linked together by truncated cones. The sculptural quality of the tower is heightened at night by white lighting that emphasizes the sheer vertical of the west façade, the pinnacle of the tower and the underside of the helipad (helicopter platform) which juts out by 25 metres. Photography: T. Chapuis
The 68-storey tower stands on a base whose first five floors house a shopping mall, conference facilities and restaurants. The ground floor is extended by an esplanade and terraces planted with trees.

Most of the tower itself is given over to offices. The upper part above the helipad comprises 18 prestige floors, a panoramic bar and a VIP restaurant.
Photography: T. Chapuis
The offices are served by double-deck lifts inside the tower?s central core. They are ...