The Independence Palace not only has architectural beauty but is also a symbol of peace and unity, and is the most popular tourist attraction in Ho Chi Minh City every April 30th.
Independence Palace or Reunification Hall is located on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, with the main facade facing Le Duan Avenue. In 1976, the Palace was ranked as a special national monument.
The construction began on July 1, 1962, designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu - the first Vietnamese to win the Roman Khoi Nguyen award. The overall shape of the palace is the letter "Cat", symbolizing goodness and luck. The architecture stands out with a stone curtain simulating elegant bamboo joints surrounding the second floor. Inside, the design lines are mainly straight and neat, expressing the spirit of discipline and solemnity.
The palace has a floor area of 20,000 m2, built on a campus of 4,500 m2, 26 m high, including the ground floor, two mezzanine floors, two basements, and a helipad on the roof. More than 100 functional rooms are designed in a unique style, including a reception room, a cabinet meeting room, the president's and vice president's offices, a credential presentation room, and a banquet room.
The Credentials Room is where ambassadors from various countries presented their credentials to the President of the Republic of Vietnam before 1975.
The interior of the room was designed by artist Nguyen Van Minh, using lacquer painting techniques as the main style in Japanese style. The highlight is the painting "Binh Ngo Dai Cao," consisting of 40 pieces, recreating the peaceful scene of the Vietnamese people in the 15th century, with the image of King Le Loi declaring victory over the Ming army in the center. On both sides of the wall are eight symbolic torches, lit during important diplomatic ceremonies.
On April 18, 1975, this was where the last presentation of credentials took place when President of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu received the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Hiroshi Hitomi.
Located on the second floor of the Palace, the presidential reception area consists of two connecting rooms. In the first room, the President's chair is placed higher than the other chairs, behind which is a large wooden board symbolizing the flag of the Republic of Vietnam. The next room has a simpler layout, with the highlight being two lacquer cabinets with "apricot, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo" motifs placed on both sides.
The Vice President's reception room (photo below) has a dominant yellow tone, expressed through the curtains, tables, and chairs. In the room hang two lacquer paintings: one depicts Khue Van Cac (Temple of Literature, Hanoi), the other depicts the scene of King Tran Nhan Tong strolling (13th century).
The banquet hall is where receptions are held with a capacity of more than 100 guests. The space uses warm yellow tones as the main theme, creating a solemn and intimate feeling. In the center hangs the painting "Brocade Mountains and Rivers, Peaceful Grass and Trees," composed and donated by architect Ngo Viet Thu.
On the evening of March 1, 1975, this was where President Nguyen Van Thieu's final reception for the American delegation took place.
Large glass windows located between the corridors help to bring light to the entire building. This is also a favorite check-in spot for many young people when visiting the Palace.
Duong Thi Dao, 22 years old, a student at the People's Security University, and her friends arrived early to line up to buy tickets to visit the Independence Palace on the morning of April 17. According to Dao, despite the large number of visitors, everyone was excited to visit the historical site on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification.
The Independence Palace is a place that marks many important events of the nation. I came here to take pictures to preserve memories and share with my relatives," Dao said.
The basement is one of the areas that attracts the curiosity of many tourists when visiting the Independence Palace. The project was designed by engineer Phan Van Dien, solidly built with a length of 72.5 m, a width of 0.8 to 22.5 m, and a depth of 0.6 to 2.5 m. The rooms in the basement are connected by small, concrete-cast walkways, 5 mm-thick armored walls, and have their own ventilation system.
Area 1 is the operations center, including the staff office, radio station, telephone switchboard, decoding and transmission room. All equipment was provided by the US government in the 1960s.
Area 2 (photo below) is located at a depth of 2.5 m, with a 1.6 m thick concrete wall, able to withstand the destructive force of bombs weighing up to 2,000 kg. In an emergency, the President can move down here via a staircase directly connecting from the office on the second floor. This area is not open to visitors at this time.
The president's duty room was located on the first basement floor, where he was able to grasp the war situation and give orders during the most tense moments. The room was small but sturdy, with thick walls, and was equipped with the most modern communication system at that time, aided by the US. Inside, there was a desk, military maps, encrypted telephones, and communication equipment, allowing the President to operate remotely when the situation on the ground was no longer safe. This was considered the "backup brain" of the Palace during the last days of the Saigon government.
Following the exit from the basement, visitors will see the Jeep M151A2 - the vehicle that carried President Duong Van Minh to Saigon Radio Station at noon on April 30, 1975. Here, he read the declaration of unconditional surrender, officially ending the Saigon government and marking the moment of national reunification.
After visiting the entire Palace, visitors can go to the rooftop to admire the F-5E aircraft - an artifact associated with the event that contributed to the victory in the final days of the war. On April 8, 1975, pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung flew an F-5E from Bien Hoa and dropped bombs on the Independence Palace. The attack only caused minor damage, with one bomb hitting the target on the roof but only exploding at the front, causing a partial collapse of the roof area.
Traces of the bombing have been preserved and marked by the relic management board so that visitors can better visualize the event.
A must-see attraction when arriving at the Palace, at the left exit, are two tanks numbered 843 and 390. The image of two tanks crashing through the main and side gates of the Independence Palace at noon on April 30, 1975, became a historical symbol of the nation, closing the victorious Ho Chi Minh Campaign, opening the period of national reunification.
The Independence Palace is now a must-see attraction in Ho Chi Minh City, especially during major holidays. The Palace is open every day of the week and on holidays, except for some special events. Ticket sales hours are from 8:00 to 15:30, and visiting hours are from 8:00 to 16:30.
There are two types of tickets, with the price of 40,000 VND for only visiting the Palace, not visiting the "From Norodom Palace to Independence Palace 1868 - 1966" exhibition, and 65,000 VND for visiting both the Palace and the exhibition. If it is your first time visiting the Palace, visitors should experience visiting the exhibition to learn more about its history.