Surrounded by royal palm trees, the 1960s architecture of this landmark government building and the eerie ambience of its deserted halls make it an intriguing spectacle. The first Communist tanks to arrive in Saigon rumbled here on 30 April 1975 and it’s as if time has stood still since then. The building is deeply associated with the fall of the city in 1975, yet it's the kitsch detailing and period motifs that steal the show. It's also known as the Independence Palace.
After crashing through the wrought-iron gates – in a dramatic scene recorded by photojournalists and shown around the world – a soldier ran into the building and up the stairs to unfurl a VC flag from the balcony. In an ornate reception chamber, General Minh, who had become head of the South Vietnamese state only 43 hours before, waited with his improvised cabinet.
This building clearly holds significance for the Vietnamese--not only were we very under-represented as Americans touring an iconic Vietnamese building, many of the visitors were in groups, from the veterans on the front lawn posing in front of the tank that stormed the gates so many years ago, to groups of youth, the palace that was for the most part uninhabited remains fixed in time, with it's red reception room representing power, it's green meeting room decorated to promote negotiation, and the yellow dining room to advance good digestion, it is stuck in the time when the modern Vietnam began. And to remind each visitor that it had a violent pastm there is a Huey on the roof. If you get to Saigon, this is a must see.
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