Back in the mid 1990s, a furore erupted as Saigon began to face up to the new skyline that would accompany a fast developing economy. An uninspired 10 plus story pile (in the image below, it's the building on the left with the pyramidal metallic frame on its roof) began to feature in the background of views of the French colonial era People's Committee Building . Many, including the then Prime Minister, were said to be unimpressed.
The PDD building, as it's still known, was one of the first new office towers of Saigon's *doi moi* or "open" era. It was a very mediocre creation. And a harbinger of the city's architectural future. But the official resistance it encountered (there was talk of lopping a few floors off), might have given rise to hopes that the future of the city skyline and heritage generally, might be handled with care.
As we approach 20 years since that furore, any such optimism is long gone.
Saigon's development has been a chaotic architectural collision of multi-coloured creations that have no connection to their immediate surrounds let alone some kind of meaningful plan. And there's been plenty of unnecessary destruction of heritage in the process too - especially during the past 5 years.
Saigon's heritage offerings were modest to begin with so some preservation of a few historic areas could have been very effective. There's been plenty of damage done, but it's not too late to salvage some character. There are still areas of shophouses that could be preserved. But there seems to be little cause for hope.
Meanwhile, as Burma becomes a focus of investor and developer interest, like Vietnam two decades ago, some of the same questions are arising. The Burmese capital Rangoon sports some of Asia's most impressive colonial architecture. And the locals are already showing an interest in making sure that the city's future development pays some heed to heritage considerations - as this piece from the ABC's Lateline programme demonstrates.
It'll be fascinating to see how Rangoon handles its development. There are no easy answers to the big questions of development, heritage and public space. Saigon seems to be a good case study in how not to approach the issues however.
As I wandered past the historic Majestic Hotel last week, a billboard announced a new annex was to built. It captured perfectly the failure of the city to establish some proper relationship between heritage questions and the future needs of a modern city.
The new "annex", of the hotel made famous in Graham Greene's novel, The Quiet American, at more than 20 stories, will render the original 1920s low rise building virtually invisible. 
Pre-empting expected criticism, the billboard on the site (above) assures those heritage interested dears that "This project is an Annex-wing only. The Majestic Colonial Wing is still remained as it is" (sic).
It's the same thinking that has informed most of the city's development for two decades - new buildings need have no connection to their context, even less so heritage. The goldrush mentality rules - irrespective of medium to longer term commercial considerations. Nobody views heritage is a bankable asset.
And while plenty of locals are more enamoured of the new than the few historic relics of the city, an increasing number are also beginning to lament the losses.
We can only hope Rangoon strikes a better balance - and sees heritage as an underpinning rather than an obstacle to prosperity.
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