◊ History of Foundation

Originally called Norodom Palace and Palace of Indochina Governor General, the Independence Palace was built in 1868 and inaugurated in 1871.

After 1954, Ngo Dinh Diem, South Viet Nam’s Presdent, and his family lived and worked in the Norodom Palace. He decided to renamed it the Independence Palace. In 1962, this palace was heavily destroyed by bombs. President Diem commanded the remains to be destroyed and to rebuild the palace It was designed by Western-trained architect Ngo Viet Thu. The construction was undertaken by Sai Gon engineers and was completed in 1966.

◊ Architecture

The new palace was built on an area of 120,000m² with a surface area of 4,500m². It included a basement, 3 main floors, 2 mezzanines, one terrace, and one upper floor. There are a total of 95 rooms in the palace, each decorated according to its function. The palace also features two exhibition rooms, a 33-room guest house, and numerous entertainment services such as tennis courts and octagonal house.

On 30 April 1975, the tanks of the liberation army entered The Independence Palace, and the Sai Gon government, including 45 members and President Duong Van Minh, surrendered without condition.

After the liberation, The Independence Palace became headquarters of the city's military administration committee. The political consultation for national unification was held in this palace. Nowadays, The Independence Palace has become a historic, cultural relic attracting domestic as well as international visitors.

Opening time: 7.30am - 11.00am and 1.00pm - 4.00pm daily.

Fare: VND 40,000/person.