Photos of Presidential Palace

The Presidential Palace in Hanoi is located near Ba Dinh Square, not far from the Ho Chi Minh Tomb. This purely European-style building has wrought-iron gates, classical columns and imposing staircases, as well as a stately Hall of Mirrors, where many important historical events took place. However, the interior of the main building of the Presidential Palace is not open to the public, and you can only take pictures from a distance. There is also a former Ho Chi Minh residence that tourists can visit for a fee. In fact, Ho Chi Minh did not live in this luxurious Presidential Palace back then, but only received foreign guests there. In 1958, he lived in a shack by the pond in the back garden. This shack did not even have a toilet. Walking along the boulevard in the garden of the Presidential Palace, you can see a two-story all-wood stilted building, which displays various items used by Ho Chi Minh during his lifetime. The lower floor of the stilted building is the reception room, with conference tables and chairs. There is no wall except for the columns, so you can escape the heat in summer. There are two rooms on the upper floor, the left is the bedroom with a common wooden bed; the right is the office with only a wooden table and a few wooden chairs. After visiting, you will really feel that this former residence is as simple and elegant as its owner. In addition, the garden of the President's Palace is quiet and elegant, which is a good place for a stroll. The garden is planted with interesting and rare Bodhisattva trees whose roots grow upwards to form unique shapes like natural statues.