One of the sights to see within the city of Ho Chi Mhin is the Reunification Palace. This is the home and work place of the president of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It is also the location of the Fall of Siagon in 1975.
The palace grounds is 12 hectors with a guest chamber that can accommodated 800 people. Although the structure seems fairly simple, most of the materials were imported from France and I was liked a few of the art works on the walls. The Reunification Palace has remained unchanged since the 1970s and is a good place to learn more about the history of Vietnam.
There were 2 main highlights for me in the Reunification Palace. The first one was the roof top where you can see an old US UH-1 helicopter and 2 red markers showing the spots where bombs were dropped while they were trying to evacuate the staff before the palace was completely taken over.
The 2nd highlight is found underground where you can see the command bunker of the president. All the old radio equipment, maps and plans are still in their original positions. You can see the president’s little bed and his war office where I sat to take a photo.
Before exiting the palace, look out for two of the original Russian T-54 tanks that was used in the capture of the palace, now parked on the lawn.