Reunification Palace

Posted by: Stacy

(Note: I had promised a blog on the Jade Emperor Pagoda, which we visited last weekend, but my camera battery is dead. Normally, I would just charge the battery and upload the photos, but I used our converter today and it started smoking...not a good sign. So, no functioning converter, no charging the camera and, thus, no photos of Jade Emperor Pagoda. Don't worry, though, I'll get them up as soon as I can!)

Today, Doug and I, along with a few new friends, visited Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City. Wikipedia very nicely summarizes the historical merit of the building:

Reunification Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Thống Nhất) formerly known as Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập), built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu and was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates.

The site is a very popular tourist destination and spectacular in its own right. While history usually bores me, this was actually quite interesting. From the basement control rooms to elaborate rooftop ballrooms, Reunification Palace is a must-see if you visit Saigon. Enjoy the photo tour below.