A visit to the exterior of the Presidential Palace, plus a house Ho Chi Minh lived in from 1954 to 1958, then his so-called House on Stilts, and his car collection, naturally follows a stop at nearby Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum.
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Simply follow the crowds when you leave the mausoleum and you’ll find yourself at the ticket booth to here, with the first stop in this complex being the exterior of the ochre-coloured Presidential Palace.
The pond is not the spot for a quiet stroll. Photo: Samantha Brown
Today the palace is the official home of Vietnam’s president, but it was originally the residence of the French Governor-General of Indochina. The ornate 30-room palace, built in Beaux Arts style at the start of the 20th century by French architect Auguste Henri Vildieu, is also used occasionally by the government for state receptions, particularly when heads of state visit. Architectural Digest named the palace one of the 13 most beautiful in the world in 2016.
For obvious symbolic reasons, Ho Chi Minh refused to move into the palace when the French were ousted in 1954, though he did receive guests there. Instead he moved into a modest cottage on the grounds while he waited for a house on stilts he commissioned to be built.
Guess who's late for dinner! Photo: Samantha Brown
You’ll file past the several rooms of the first house, kept absolutely pristine, and a garage where his collection of well-preserved, gleaming cars remain stored behind ... please log in to read the rest of this story.
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By
Samantha Brown.
Last updated on 21st September, 2017.
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Location map for Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts
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