Historical summary Introduction

In 1858, French Colonialists opened fire to attack Da Nang starting a war to invade Vietnam. In 1867, the French completely occupied six provinces of the South (Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, Dinh Tuong, Vinh Long, An Giang, Ha Tien). In 1868, the French Government started to have designed and built at the center of Saigon a palace used as the Governor General’s Palace and named it NORODOM’s Palace. The construction was started on Feb. 23, 1868 and completed in 1871 by the French Governor General in the South of Vietnam named Lagradieøre who placed the first stone. From 1871 to 1887 it was called the Governor General’s Palace of the South Part.

From 1887-1945 many periods of the French Governors General used this building as a residing and working place throughout the Indochina aggressive period.

On March 9, 1945, Japanese fascists’ revolution overthrew the French, soly occupied Indochina, Norodom’s Palace was the working place of the Japanese Government in Vietnam. From Sept. 1945, the Japanese failed in the II World War, the French returned to occupy the South part, Norodom’s Palace was the working office of the aggressive war machinery of the French in Vietnam.

On May 7, 1954, the French Colonialists lost heavily in Dien Bien Phu campaign, after that they were obliged to sign Geneva Agreement and withdrew from Vietnam. The American tried to jump in to carry out their attempt to invade the South , Vietnam was temporarily divided into 2 regions, the North was under the regime of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, while the South was the Republic of Vietnam.

On Sept. 07, 1954 Norodom Palace was handed over between the French Government representative-General PAUL ELY and Saigon ruling representative-Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem. Ngo Dinh Diem decided to change the name of the Palace to the Palace of Independence. Since then the Palace of Independence became the residence of Ngo Dinh Diem’s family and a place witnessing many political events. Ngo Dinh Diem maintained a family ruling dictatorial regime, he pushed the people into strategic hamlets, carried out the 10/59 law bringing guillotines to all over the South, he did not only cause indignation among the people but also caused disagreement within the Government cabinet of Saigon.

On Feb. 27, 1962, the overthrowing side sent two pilots of Saigon army named Nguyen Van Cu and Pham Phu Quoc driving 2 AD6 bombing planes to collapse the whole main part of the Palace left wing. Because the Palace could not be restored Ngo Dinh Diem had it levelled and a new building built right on the former ground under a design by Architect Ngo Viet Thu, the first Vietnamese who won the Roman Champion.

Ngo Dinh Diem decided to start building the Palace on July 01, 1962. During the time of building the new Palace, Ngo Dinh Diem’s family moved to temporarily live in Gia Long’s Palace (now Ho Chi Minh City Museum). While the construction was under NGO DINH DIEM was killed on Nov. 02, 1963 by the overthrowing side. Therefore on Oct. 31, 1996 inauguration of the Palace was chaired by Nguyen Van Thieu, Chairman of the National Leading Committee. Ngo Dinh Diem was the one who started building the Palace of Independence but he did not live there any day, and the one who lived in this Palace longest was Nguyen Van Thieu (from Oct. 1967 to April 21, 1975).

Since then, the Palace of Independence was the headquarter of Saigon Government, a place witnessing the merciless war by foreign military interference in Vietnam, a place producing the Republic of Vietnam President Nguyen Van Thieu’s many policies which betrayed the people.

But what must come has come.

With historical Ho Chi Minh City campaign, at 10.45h of April 30, 1975, a tank bearing number 843 of the liberation army Company 4, Battalion 1, Tank brigadier 230, Corps 2 at the leading of the tank formation struck inclined the auxiliary gate of the Independence Palace, following that a tank bearing number 390 knocked up the main gate and advanced directly to the Palace. At 11.30 h of the same day, Lieutenant Bui Quang Than, company Commander directing tank 843 felled a flag of 3 stripes, raised up a flag of the National front for Liberation of South Vietnam. The flag flew flutteringly on the Palace roof, ending 30 years of gallant and hard war of the Vietnamese people. Also at this very moment, final President of the Republic of Vietnam Duong Van Minh and the entire Cabinet of Saigon Government declared unconditional surrender to the revolutionary Government. Under the leadership by Vietnamese Communist Party our army and people have realized President Ho Chi Minh City’s 2 aspirations :

The people of 2 South-North parts have been reunited in one home. Vietnamese people’s spirit and will of national independence and unification have successfully won.

Today, the Palace of Independence is a well known cultural historical relic which is visited in large number by foreign and domestic tourists and is a place to meet, to receive guests by leaders from the central Government as well as from the city.