The Presidential Palace in Ba Đình, Hanoi, Vietnam, was built from 1900 to 1906 as the Palace of the Governor-General of French Indochina. Charles Lichtenfelder built it, though the work is often incorrectly attributed to Auguste Henri Vildieu. The style is French Colonial with Italian Renaissance elements.
The yellow building sits behind wrought iron gates with sentry boxes, and a grand staircase leads to the piano nobile. Its features include aedicules, broken pediments, classical columns and quoins, and mango trees stand on the grounds.
After 1954, Ho Chi Minh reportedly declined to live in the palace but received state guests there. He built a traditional stilt house and carp pond on the grounds, which became the Presidential Palace Historical Site in 1975. The palace is the official residence of the President. Its interior is closed to the public, but the grounds are open for a fee.
Comments