Reunification Palace

Located in the heart of downtown Ho Chi Minh City, just a short walk away from some of other famous sights of the city such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office,ReunificationPalacesits as a time capsule of the city’s past surrounded by green lawns and iron fences.

The ground Reunification Palace sitting on had been the home of the Norodom Palace, the headquarters and home of the French governors of Cochinchina/Indochina from 1871 to 1954, though it had briefly become the headquarters of Japanese in 1945. In 1954, theNorodomPalacewas officially handed over to the prime minister of the State of Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, who renamed it theIndependencePalacein the next year. After theNorodomPalacewas severely damaged during an assassination attempt in 1962 by two Vietnamese rebel pilots’ bombing, Diem ordered the damaged palace to be demolished and a new palace to be built in its place. The building we see today was completed in 1966; it served as home of the country’s de facto leader till April 30, 1975, when a tank belonging to the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the palace’s front gate and effectively ended the war.Vietnamwas then reunified, and since then the building has been known asReunificationPalace.

It seems as if time stopped that day inside the palace’s gates, as it has basically been left untouched since: everything inside screams of 1960s architecture, decor and indulgence, preserved for your viewing pleasure. The basement of the building, which includes a command bunker with old radio equipment and strategy maps on the walls, and the rooftop, used to be a helipad which offers a great view of the surrounding grounds, are two of the palace’s must-see spots. NowReunificationPalaceis still in use to host occasions including APEC summits and national events of significant importance.