The Reunification Palace

Wednesday, March 5th- We start out our sightseeing trip in Saigon by visiting the Reunification Palace. The Reunification Palace is the former Presidential Palace during the years that the government of the Republic of South Vietnam was in power. For those who remember the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army in April of 1975, you will remember the pictures of the tanks breaking down the gates of the Presidential Palace. The North Vietnamese soldiers then entered the palace and seized control of the government from the South Vietnamese President. After this, the palace was renamed the Reunification Palace to symbolize the rejoining of the North and South into one country.

The gates have long since been mended. The tank that first came through them is on display on the palace grounds. Our Vietnamese guide, Mr. Song Tran, was in Saigon on the day that the government fell. He recalls seeing the tanks going down the street towards the palace. To his surprise, he saw that his neighbor from DaNang was driving the tank that crashed through the gates.

As we moved towards and into the palace, we were taken by the architecture of the building. The building's designer used the principles of Feng Shui (long before it was trendy!).

However, later a different architect was called in to redesign the windows. The architect designed windows that opened from the floor to the ceiling. This allowed the breeze to flow through the palace, keeping the residents and workers comfortable during the hot months. He also designed the large white columns that covered the windows. These columns were supposed to obstruct the view from the outside, affording those inside more privacy. Later, it was theorized that the columns resembled bones and, perhaps, the architect was "hexing" the occupants rather than shielding them from prying eyes.

The palace, like most of the houses that we were to see on our trip, was built with a "core" of rooms surrounded by open areas and large doors. In a hot and steamy climate, this is a great way to keep the living areas cool as the outside temperatures rise.

We toured many rooms in the palace. Among those were the dining room where the president entertained guests. We also saw the official meeting room for foreign visitors. The president would generally be of smaller stature than diplomats and heads of state from other countries. In order not to feel at a disadvantage, the president had his chair behind the desk situated on a platform. In this way, he would always be taller than his visitors.

We also saw the "lacquer" room. All the furniture and decorative elements in the room were lacquered. We learned that this is a way to inhibit damage to wood by termites. With the lacquer on the wooden surfaces, termites are not able to get a tooth in. Our favorite room was the entertainment room, with its 70's decor. From the barrel bar to the moveable conversation pit, this room reflected all that was good (or bad) about the 1970's.

We were reminded of the serious business that was addressed in this place when we saw the office areas. In one of the rooms, we saw many maps sitting next to a bank of phones. In the next room, we saw the vice-president's desk with its phones. Who was on the other end of those phones and what messages were sent through the wires?

After viewing the public areas, we moved on to the family quarters. At the center of the family area was an open courtyard. Again, we were aware of the cool breezes that circulated through the area. In the center of the courtyard was a pool, a ying yang arrangement of water and mountain. Around the courtyard were rooms for dining, sleeping and family life.

Our final stop in the Reunification Palace was the rooftop. Here the president could hold parties, with dancing on the beautiful teak dance floor. The president could also come and go from the rooftop heliport.