Independence Palace

Presidential Palace
Dinh Độc Lập
Independence Palace
Former names	Norodom Palace
General information
Type	Presidential Palace
Address	135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Construction started	1 July 1962
Completed	31 October 1966
Height	26m
Technical details
Floor count	4
Floor area	120,000 sq m
Design and construction
Architect	Ngô Viết Thụ
Civil engineer	Phan Văn Điển

Coordinates: 10°46′37″N 106°41′43″E / 10.77694°N 106.69528°E / 10.77694; 106.69528

Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập), also known as Reunification Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Thống Nhất), built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngô Viết Thụ 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.

In 1858, France launched an attack on Đà Nẵng, starting its invasion of Vietnam. In 1867, France completed its conquest of southern Vietnam (Cochinchina), comprising the provinces of Biên Hòa, Gia Định, Định Tường, Vĩnh Long, An Giang, and Hà Tiên. To consolidate the newly established colony, on 23 February 1868, Lagrandière, Governor of Cochinchina, held a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a new palace to replace the old wooden palace built in 1863. The new palace was designed by Charles Hermite, who was also the architect of the Hong Kong City Hall. The first cubic stone, measuring 50 cm along each edge, with indentations containing French gold and silver coins bearing Napoleon III's effigy, came from Biên Hòa.