Our next stop was Reunification Palace--entry fee 10,000 dong. If I understood correctly, this was built in the 60s and was the command post for the South Vietnamese government. It is built on the former site of a 19th century French government building that was bombed in 1962.
The palace looks deserted, it seems to be preserved in its 1975 interior design. We began our tour by watching a twenty minute long video in the basement that depicted Vietnam's history, mostly dealing with the 20th century and the war.
Around to the front entrance and immediately to the right is this conference room.
Immediately across from the conference room is the main dining room.
At the back of the ground floor is a large meeting room. At the front of the room is a bust of Ho Chi Minh that is obviously not original to the pre-unification design.
The central staircase is for VIP's only. We used smaller side stairs.
This is the second floor Situation Room, with several maps on the wall that still show the intelligence of the South Vietnamese government.
Immediately in front of the Situation Room is the President's office. The room includes a door that is an escape route to the basement bomb shelter.
The lighting fixture in the President's office.
This is the President's Receiving Room. The furniture is original.
This is the back of the Vice President's Receiving Room. Note the elephant tusks.
This is the Credentials room where foreign dignitaries present their credentials to officials.
Looking out onto the front lawn of the palace.
In the back of the second floor was the President's living area.
Lotus had handed us off to a government tour guide. She is pointing out various gifts that had been given to the South Vietnamese government.
Some sort of animal's skull along with the tail.
Hollowed out elephant feet.
The third floor contained a gambling room and a movie theatre.
As we left I noted this tank near the gate. I did not stop to read but I suppose it could be the one that broke down the iron gate in 1975 after Saigon fell.
Our next stop was Reunification Palace--entry fee 10,000 dong. If I understood correctly, this was built in the 60s and was the command post for the South Vietnamese government. It is built on the former site of a 19th century French government building that was bombed in 1962.
The palace looks deserted, it seems to be preserved in its 1975 interior design. We began our tour by watching a twenty minute long video in the basement that depicted Vietnam's history, mostly dealing with the 20th century and the war.
Around to the front entrance and immediately to the right is this conference room.
Immediately across from the conference room is the main dining room.
At the back of the ground floor is a large meeting room. At the front of the room is a bust of Ho Chi Minh that is obviously not original to the pre-unification design.
The central staircase is for VIP's only. We used smaller side stairs.
This is the second floor Situation Room, with several maps on the wall that still show the intelligence of the South Vietnamese government.
Immediately in front of the Situation Room is the President's office. The room includes a door that is an escape route to the basement bomb shelter.
The lighting fixture in the President's office.
This is the President's Receiving Room. The furniture is original.
This is the back of the Vice President's Receiving Room. Note the elephant tusks.
This is the Credentials room where foreign dignitaries present their credentials to officials.
Looking out onto the front lawn of the palace.
In the back of the second floor was the President's living area.
Lotus had handed us off to a government tour guide. She is pointing out various gifts that had been given to the South Vietnamese government.
Some sort of animal's skull along with the tail.
Hollowed out elephant feet.
The third floor contained a gambling room and a movie theatre.
As we left I noted this tank near the gate. I did not stop to read but I suppose it could be the one that broke down the iron gate in 1975 after Saigon fell.
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