Reunification Palace history


Reunification Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Thống Nhất) formerly known as Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập), 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 Hoà, 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 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.

The complex covered an area of 12 hectares, including a palace with an 80-meter-wide façade, a guest-chamber capable of accommodating 800 people, with a spacious gardens covered by green trees and a lawn. Most of the building materials were imported from France. Owing to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, construction fell behind schedule and was not completed until 1873. The palace was named Norodom Palace after the then king of Cambodia, Norodom (1834–1904). The avenue in front of the palace bore the same name. From 1871 to 1887, the palace was used by the French Governor of Cochinchina (Gouverneur de la Cochinchine); therefore, it was referred to as the Governor’s Palace. From 1887 to 1945, all Governors-General of French Indochina used the palace as their residence and office. The office of the Cochinchinese Governors was relocated to a nearby villa.

World War II
On March 9, 1945, Japan defeated and replaced France in French Indochina in a successful coup. Norodom Palace became the headquarters of Japanese colonial officials in Vietnam. In September 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allied forces in World War II and France returned to Vietnam and Norodom Palace was restored to its position as the office of the French colonists.

After World War II
On May 7, 1954, France surrendered to the Việt Minh after its defeat at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ. France agreed to sign the Geneva Accords and withdrew its troops from Vietnam. According to the accords, Vietnam would be divided for two years, until 1956. The 17th Parallel would act as the temporary border until a vote based on universal suffrage was held to establish a unified Vietnamese government. North Vietnam was under the control of the Việt Minh communists, while South Vietnam was under the anti-communist State of Vietnam. On 7 September 1954, Norodom Palace was handed over to the prime minister of the State of Vietnam, Ngô Đình Diệm. by a representative of the French presence in Vietnam, General Paul Ély.

In 1955, Diệm defeated former Emperor Bảo Đại, the chief of state of the State of Vietnam, in a fraudulent referendum. Ngô Đình Diệm declared himself president of the newly proclaimed Republic of Vietnam and renamed the building the Independence Palace. According to fengshui, the palace is located on a dragon’s head; therefore, it was also referred to as the Dragon’s Head Palace.

 Vietnam WarMain articles: 1962 South Vietnamese Presidential Palace bombing, Arrest and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm, and 1963 South Vietnamese coup

On 27 February 1962, two pilots of Diệm’s Vietnam Air Force, Nguyễn Văn Cử and Phạm Phú Quốc, rebelled and flew two A-1 Skyraider (A-1D/AD-6 variant) aircraft towards the palace and bombed it, instead of going on a raid against the Việt Cộng. As a result, almost the entire left wing was destroyed. However, Diệm and his family escaped the assassination attempt. As it was almost impossible to restore the palace, Diệm ordered it demolished and commissioned a new building in its place. The new palace was constructed according to a design by Ngô Viết Thụ, a Vietnamese architect who won the First Grand Prize of Rome (Grand Prix de Rome) in 1955, the highest recognition of the Beaux-Arts school in Paris. He was also a laureate of the Rome Architecture Award.

The construction of the new Independence Palace started on 1 July 1962. Meanwhile, Diệm and his ruling family moved to Gia Long Palace (today the Ho Chi Minh City Museum). However, Diệm did not see the completed hall as he and his brother and chief adviser Ngô Đình Nhu were assassinated after a coup d'état led by General Dương Văn Minh in November 1963. The completed hall was inaugurated on 31 October 1966 by the chairman of the National Leadership Committee, General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, who was then the head of a military junta. The Independence Hall served as Thiệu’s home and office from October 1967 to 21 April 1975, when he fled the country as communist North Vietnamese forces swept southwards in the decisive Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

On 8 April 1975, Nguyễn Thanh Trung, a pilot of the Vietnam Air Force and an undetected communist spy, flew an F-5E aircraft from Biên Hòa Air Base to bomb the palace, but caused no significant damage. At 10:45 on 30 April 1975, a tank of the North Vietnamese Army bulldozed through the main gate, ending the Vietnam War.

In November 1975, after the negotiation convention between the communist North Vietnam and their colleagues in South Vietnam was completed, the Provisional Revolutionary Government renamed the palace Reunification Hall (Hội trường Thống Nhất).

Ben Thanh Market - introduction and its history

 Love it or hate it, Ben Thanh Market is one of the most recognizable features in Saigon.

Having said that, as far as markets go, Ben Thanh Market tends to bring out the best and the worst in Sai gon markets.

On the one hand, the prices at Ben Thanh are higher than at other markets because it gets so many tourists; many of its stalls are filled with tacky touristy items that you will see every where you go; and you get harassed, grabbed and pressured by sellers like at no other market in Saigon.

On the other hand though, Ben Thanh Market is a hugely vibrant and colorful market.

Some of the other markets around Saigon can be very sleepy at times, especially after lunch, but because of the busy tourist trade in District 1, Ben Thanh Market is always filled with the sounds and smells of commerce as people bargain and negotiate.

And if you are a foreigner the best things about Ben Thanh Market is that most of the sellers can communicate in English to some degree, and even if they can't there is the ever present calculator to help smooth over any language difficulties.

And while many of the shops do contain only tacky touristy items, Ben Thanh Market does also have a good range of clothes shops.

And when the doors of Ben Thanh Market close at about five or six in the evening, the night market starts up outside.

Spilling over into the neighboring streets, the night market is just as vibrant as the inside market, filled with clothes and shoe stalls and a dozen or so semi permanent restaurants.

It is a colorful location where you can rest in the cool evening air and try some Vietnamese food and unwind after a long hard day's shopping or sightseeing.

Historically Ben Thanh market, in a round-about-way, has its origins way back in the 17th century.

At the start of the 17th century vendors would group together on the streets near or around the Saigon River, near where soldiers would land and merchants traveling up and down the river would load and unload their goods for sale.

Over the years this impromptu market became known as Ben Nghe or Ben Thanh Market due to its location near the wharf (Ben) and the Turtle Citadel (or Quy Thanh).

When the French conquered the Saigon Citadel in 1856 though (Saigon at the time was fortress), they rebuilt a large thatch roofed mud-floored Ben Thanh Market near what is today Ham Nghi Street and Nguyen Hue Street (Ham Nghi and Nguyen Hue were canals at the time).

Located conveniently near the wharfs, this market did a rip-roaring trade, but perhaps a victim of its own success and popularity, the thatch roofed market burned to the ground in 1870 in a large fire.

Afterwards the French rebuilt the market in the same location but with steel frames, this new steel framed market became the largest market in all Saigon.

In 1912 under the orders of the Saigon Mayor, Ben Thanh Market moved to a new building located on marshy ground opposite the Quach Thi Trang Square at the end of Le Loi Street.

They named this new market the New Ben Thanh Market.

The old Ben Thanh Market is now popular as the old Market in Ton That Dam Street selling canned goods, drinks and fresh foodstuffs, although it operates on a much smaller scale after loosing much of its area to the treasury office and the Banking Institute over the years.

The New Ben Thanh Market was officially opened in 1914 in a grand ceremony, with throngs of people coming in from nearby provinces to see the new market.

Now only known as Ben Thanh Market this is the Ben Thanh Market you can see and visit today.

While Ben Thanh Market went through a major renovation in 1985 to make it bigger, the clock tower and the southern gate are still the original 1912 building.

Golf in Saigon


Golf in Vietnam goes back to 1922 and today there are more than 10 courses in Vietnam with as many as 30 more under development. The first course in Ho Chi Minh City, the Go Vap Golf Course (which most people call the Saigon Golf Club) opened in the 1950s, and local people are beginning to appreciate the fun of swinging a club.

Others include the Vietnam Golf & Country Club which opened in 1994, and is the best established club in Ho Chi Minh City. With 36 holes, it is a private club, though guests are welcome. It is the closest course to central Saigon, some 20 km (or 30 minutes) from downtown at Long Thanh My Thu Due District.

Song Be Golf Resort has what is regarded as Vietnam’s first international-standard championship golf course. Also opened in 1994, it has 27 holes. The Song Be Golf Course is at 254B Nguyen Dinh Chieu St.

For driving ranges, try the Him Lam Driving Range on 234 Ngo Tat Thanh in Binh Thanh District, on the Saigon River, the Saigon South Golf Driving Range on Nam Saigon Avenue, District 7, or the Rach Chiec Driving Range on Ha Noi Highway, An Phu Ward, District 2.

Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park

Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park is a Vietnamese water-filled fantasy land, located rather unromantically next to a rubbish dump 15 kilometres South of Ho Chi Minh City. Suoi Tien, or "the fairy stream," is the world's first water park devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Southeast Asian animistic form of Buddhism. The animism works well for the theme park; instead of Mickey and Daffy, Suoi Tien has chosen the Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, and Phoenix as its sacred animals, used thematically throughout the massive water park. Furthermore, workers in golden monkey outfits roam the park taking pictures with visitors and causing "mischief."

The park focuses on Vietnamese history, folklore, and of course on the Buddha himself. Among the parks many features are an oversized golden dragon whose mouth contains a neon haloed shrine to Buddha, avenues lined with pillars in the shape of giant elephant tusks, a swimming pool surrounded by a massive concrete facade of dragons and a giant rotating frog sculpture at the entrance. Particularly delightful are the twelve story face's of the Buddhist sages - with water slides emerging from their beards.

Children might enjoy a dog or turtle shaped boat ride around the island pavilions. But, beware the cutely-named Palace of Unicorns which contains a surprisingly gory house of horrors within. Perhaps the strangest and most unnerving feature of the enormous park is the crocodile kingdom. A pond with over 1,500 live crocodiles, visitors are invited to feed them with raw meat attached to fishing poles. The whole thing is quite impressive and constructed on a huge scale. Although, the lax safety controls -acres of wet, slippery concrete, low hanging stalactites in the cavern water slides, and the bay of crocodiles- remind you that you are not in Disneyland anymore.

Cooking class in Saigon

One of the world healthiest cuisines is Vietnamese cuisine. With rice, herbs and fresh vegetables, Vietnamese meal is deserved with its rank.

If you are love cooking some Vietnamese dishes, there are some cooking classes around Saigon Even when you travel to Saigon just for 1-2 days, you are still able to learn cooking Vietnamese dishes.

1) Caravelle Hotel - Cooking Classes Caravelle Hotel
19 Lam Son Square, Dist 1

The Caravelle Hotel is 5-star hotel in Saigon. It offers 1 day cooking class.

Cooking class start at 8:00 am, all participants leave hotel by Cyclo go to the Ben Thanh Market where Chef assists and advises participants how to hand-pick the freshest ingredients.

After that, all people will return to the hotel kitchen and Chefs will personally walk them through the preparation and presentation of an entire menu: fresh shrimp spring rolls with hoisin peanut sauce, BBQ eggplant, braised river prawn with Vietnamese curry, fried spring roll, beef luc lac, chicken salad with Vietnamese herbs, spicy and sour fish soup, and banana sweet.

The best part of the class is when everyone gets to enjoy the fruits of their labors with a lunch in Caravelle’s Restaurant Nineteen. Recipes are presented as a memento from the hotel.

The Caravelle Hotel Cooking Class Package starts from US$ 45 per person, plus 5% Service Charge and 5% VAT. Classes of minimum 10 participants, 15 maximum, must be booked at least 7 days in advance.

For enquiries, please contact 3823 4999 Ext 27100 or email: fbd@caravellehotel.vnn.vn

2) Vietnam Cookery Centre
 VIETNAM COOKERY CENTER– HOCHIMINH CITY & NHA TRANG BOOKING CENTER
Address: 362/8 Ung Van Khiem St, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
Tel: +848 351 22 764 Fax: +848 351 22 3764
E-mail: vietnamcookery@expat-services.com
 
Here you can learn to cook some of the most popular Vietnamese dishes. Popular with foreigners, the Vietnam Cookery Centre offers a whole range of courses ranging from a half-day course to an eight-day course.

All participants will go Ben Thanh Market with Chefs. In the market, People will learn how to recognize the different Vietnamese ingredients and be guided in their application. Also, Guests will learn about the classic Vietnamese produce, from fruit and vegetable, to meats and seafood.

For US$ 39 per person you could attend our Morning Course (from 09h30 to 13h00 including Lunch), or our Afternoon Course (from 15h30 to 19h30 including Dinner). Also, you can ask for : In-depth Course, Course for professional Cooks, classes for children. Thematic dinner with cooking shows etc.

 

3) Hoa Tuc Restaurant – Cooking Classes
Hoa Tuc Retaurant
74/7 Hai Ba Trung, Dist 1
Tel: 3 825 84 85
Fax: 3 825 16 77
Email – contact@saigoncookingclass.com

Tuesday to Sunday, 2 sessions: 10:00am-1:00pm Or 2:00pm – 5:00pm (duration about 3 hours).
Adult cost: $ 45. Kids until 10 years old: $ 36.
Only small group: from 1 to 8 people.
Note: payment is required before the class (free pick up at your hotel possible). No refunds.
Current menu, offer a cooking class, 
You need to book 24 hours in advance.











4) Connections - Cooking Classes
Email – info@connectionsvietnam.com

Cook is our cooking class in a Saigon home. We take you to a real Vietnamese family home where you will be a guest for the morning. You will visit the local market to buy the ingredients and then cook the dishes

You will be met at 8am at your hotel by one of our student guides. We like to start the cooking class early so we can get you to the local market whilst it is still busy. You need to take a taxi to the chef’s house somewhere in Saigon (we currently have a number of chefs around the city so journey time and location will vary). After arriving and getting your bearings, you’ll head off to the local market (usually within walking distance) to shop for ingredients, all at a leisurely pace. You’ll then head back to the house to start your cooking, where you’ll eventually devour the results for lunch!

This is not only a normal cooking class; this is a genuine insight into a Vietnamese kitchen and home.

Saigon top Mid-Range Restaurants



Tib
187 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 829 7242, HCMC
Very popular choice serving up typical dishes from Hue in beautiful surroundings. Personal recommendation!

Chi Nghia
53 Thu Khoa Huan, D1 Tel: 823 5563, HCMC
With a decor of Old Saigon this place serves up great quality local dishes at very reasonable prices.

Com Nieu Sai Gon
6b Tu Xuong, D3 Tel: , HCMC
Popular with locals and tourists alike with a sometimes raucous atmosphere.

121 Restaurant
121 Vo Van Tan, D3 Tel: , HCMC
Great selection of grilled and smoked meats at this lesser known gem of a restaurant.
Gardener in Ho Chi Minh City

Au Pagolac 1
19 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 910 4405, HCMC
Fantastic selection of beef dishes created in imaginative ways. Heaven for non-vegetarians!

Cay Gon

12 Ngo Van Nam, D1 Tel: , HCMC
Popular locals joint serving up typical Vietnamese food with plenty Saigon Beer to wash it down with.

Gio Restaurant

33 Nguyen U Di, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: , HCMC
Relaxing locale near the river offering mainly light dishes. Oysters and deer are two of the menu's novelties.

Hong Hai
54 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3 Tel: 829-2977, HCMC
Excellent seafood restaurant with dishes prepared in the style of Nha Trang such as coconut steamed prawns.

Banh Xeo Saigon

That is until a couple of weeks back when I received 2 emailed hints (much appreciated) plus a location suggestion from a real live Saigonite in Saigon. Great – you’re thinking – that’s 3 banh xeo spots to check out. Wrong. All three had independently suggested the same joint – 46A Dinh Cong Trang Street in District 1. This many potty pancake lovers can’t be wrong, surely?

This saliva springing sight fizzin’ away in the frying pan above is the reason why Saigonese flood to this 50 seater outdoor, alleyway eatery. Bean sprouts, shrimps (or pork… hell… you can have both if you like to experiment) chucked in a thin batter. Fry that baby up, flip one side over and serve. I had a bit of a banter with the owner who told me the restaurant opened 50 years ago. It was the first of its kind and remains the most popular in the whole of Saigon. The chef told me her favorite frying pan (she has six permanently on the go on separate charcoal burners) is also 50 years old. Hmmm… maybe she said 5 years old, but I am sure I heard 50. Whatever, it was a mightily knackered pan she wielded at me.

Across the street at 49A there’s a much larger, more modern copycat banh xeo restaurant. Tellingly, it was entirely devoid of customers for the length of my lunch, which was over an hour. What I love about many of these ‘famous’ places in Vietnam is despite heaps of loyal customers, oodles of cash coming in, they never lift a finger to improve the aesthetics of their restaurant. You need to devour this prime pancake as soon as it hits the plate. Don’t hang around for any late dinner arrivals and leave the civilities at home, “Oh no, please, you start.” “Oh no please you should try it first.” Stop it right there. Dive in. Banh xeo pancakes should be crispy on the outside and ever so slightly moist on the inside. Leaving it hanging around too long and you’ve got a soggy savory crepe on your hands and you don’t want that, believe me.

This dish comes with a plate of nine different leaves and herbs. The most important to my mind is this leaf – cai be xanh (mustard leaf) – which can be used to wrap combo-morsels of banh xeo and herb up before a quick dip in some nuoc mam (fish sauce) and down the hatch.

46A Dinh Cong Trang serves up a stormin’ banh xeo and I would highly recommend trotting along if you’re in town. 17,000VND a pancake. Watch the banh xeo movie below. They also serve excellent bi cuon – a herb packed, pig skin rice paper wrap number