The French colonial administration built the Hanoi Opera House as the Hanoi Municipal Theater. Construction started on June 7, 1901, and it opened on December 9, 1911. Broyer and Victorin Harlay first conceived the design, and François Lagisquet later completed it with Harlay. It was modeled on the Palais Garnier at a smaller scale. The article describes the style as Neoclassical, with French Renaissance elements. The building is 87 meters (285 ft) long, 30 meters wide and 34 meters high.
The 1945 August Revolution rally took place in front of it, and independence was proclaimed from its balcony in September 1945. The National Assembly met here in 1946 and 1959, and used it as its seat until 1963.
A restoration ran from 1995 to 1997. It closed on January 31, 2026, for a planned two-year renovation.
Comments