The Independence Palace |
Today's palace occupies the site of the former residence of the French colonial Governors residence, the Norodom Palace, constructed between 1868 and 1873 and designed by Achille-Antoine Hermite. He was the first Beaux Arts-trained architect to work in Indochina. The grand colonial structure came with a price tag of 12.5 million francs.
As Vietnam was split into North Vietnam and South Vietnam, the building served as presidential home and workplace.
Cabinet Room- The Independence Palace |
After an attempted coup bomb attack on 27 February 1962 where two Vietnamese rebel pilots bombed the palace and destroyed the entire left wing of the palace, President Diem ordered its demolition and commissioned the celebrated Vietnamese architect Ngo Viet Thu to design a completely new structure.
Conference Hall - The Independence Palace |
Ngo Viet Thu was the first Vietnamese recipient of the Grand Prix de Rome, which he won in 1955, and the first Asian architect to become an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. When designing the building Ngo Viet Thu fused both modern architecture and its traditional Asian variety. He incorporated auspicious Chinese characters into the building’s layout and design. The Palace’s architecture is a blend of traditional cultual and modern architecture, typical of the 60s’. The palace’s shape reflects different characters when viewed from different angles. Some represent good luck, prosperity, king, master, sovereignty, centre, symbolising a leader’s responsibilities, three representing the three tenets of humanity, wisdom and boldness; and mouth, symbolizing high standards of education and freedom of speech.
Ambassador's Chamber - The Independence Palace |
The new structure faced bombing raids but it remained relatively intact. On the morning of April 30, 1975 at 11.30am, tanks crashed through the gates of the palace. Liberation Forces entered the palace grounds and National Liberation Front Lieutenant Bui Quang Than climbed to the rooftop to plant an NLF flag of liberation in place of the South Vietnamese emblem. The war officially ended and Vietnam became one country.
Front lawn and fountain - The Independence Palace |
The Reunification Palace is open Every day of the week from 7.30 AM to 11.30AM and 1.00PM to 5.00 PM. Entrance ticket is VND 20,000 (about $1). Guided tours in English are also available. Getting there is extremely easy by taxi, motorbike or walking, as the palace is so well-known and right in the center oh Ho Chi Minh City. A souvenir shop is located in the basement.
Location
135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is right at one end of Le Duan Street. It borders other 3 streets: Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street in the back, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street on the right and Nguyen Du on the left.
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