Reunification Hall

In District 1 sits the Reunification Hall, also right down the street from us. Formerly known as the Presidential Palace, it was built in 1869 as the Palace for the Governor-General of Indochina. The structure of the building is in the shape of the Chinese character representing good fortune. Once the French withdrew in the 1950's, the building became the palace for the South Vietnamese President. On April 30, 1975, Communist tanks smashed through the gates as a symbolic act to their victory over the Southern Vietnamese Government. If you've ever seen a documentary or TV show on the Vietnam War, you've seen that footage.

The front of the Hall is meant to resemble a series of bamboo canes. I'm not sure why. Maybe to remind malcontents that they'll beat them with bamboo canes if they misbehave. I am almost seven months pregnant and very uncomfortable in the humidity at mid day. The Hall has no AC.

The Presidential Office. Love the art depicting the life of a Vietnamese Southerner against the back wall.

The Southern Vietnamese Military telecommunication center.

The war room. The Southern Vietnamese President sat here.

The back terrace complete with heliport and copter. Now that's when you know you have made it big...a heliport in your yard.

Vietnamese war remnants. This wasn't the tank that smashed through the gate. But it's the same class. Nobody could answer us where the famous tank actually is.