📍 Address: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
⏰ Opening Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM
💰 Entrance Fee Applies
🌐 Website: independencepalace.gov.vn

Located just a five-minute walk north of the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, the Independence Palace is an iconic historical site, easily recognizable by the red flag waving above its rooftop. While its white concrete exterior may resemble a municipal building, the palace holds profound historical significance.

A Site of Political Power and Conflict

The Independence Palace stands on the grounds of the former Norodom Palace, a colonial-era mansion built in 1871 as the residence of the Governor-General of French Indochina. When France withdrew from Vietnam in 1954, Ngo Dinh Diem took over the mansion, transforming it into his presidential residence.

However, in February 1962, the palace suffered severe damage when two discontented Southern Vietnamese pilots bombed the structure in an attempt to assassinate Diem. Following the attack, the building was deemed unsafe and demolished.

From Independence Palace to Reunification Hall

The modern structure, completed in 1966, was named the Independence Palace and served as the seat of the South Vietnamese government. However, in April 1975, the fall of Saigon saw Northern tanks crashing through its gates, marking the end of the Vietnam War. The palace was later renamed Reunification Hall to symbolize the country’s unification.

To attract visitors, the name “Independence Palace” was later reinstated. Today, this historical landmark serves as both a museum and a preserved government building, allowing visitors to explore its grand halls, war command rooms, and underground bunkers, all frozen in time from one of Vietnam’s most pivotal moments.