The Presidential Palace, located in the capital city of Hanoi, was built between 1900 and 1906 to house the French Governor-General of Indochina.

It was constructed by Auguste Henri Vildieu, the official architect for French Indochina. Like most French Colonial architecture, the palace is pointedly European.

The palace is surrounded by impressive grounds including an alley with mango trees that leads to a humble structure on stilts which used to be President Ho Chi Minh’s residence.

The yellow palace stands behind wrought iron gates flanked by sentry boxes on either side. It incorporates elements of Italian Renaissance design.

The three-storey, mustard yellow building features 30 rooms, an orchard, carp pond, and a 91-metre long boulevard surrounded by lush gardens.

Presidential Palace was intended to be President Ho Chi Minh’s official residence but the Vietnamese leader had opted for a traditional Vietnamese stilt-house instead.

It is called uncle Ho’s cottage or Nha San Bac Ho and is designed like stilt houses in north west Vietnam that offered shelter to revolutionaries during their struggle for independence from the French colonial rule.

Political gatherings are still held at Presidential Palace Hanoi. The presidential palace is off limits to visitors but the grounds and the stilt House of Ho Chi Minh can be visited.

The peaceful grounds surrounding the palace are home to well-kept botanical gardens and lush fruit groves, making it an ideal place for those looking to escape the bustling Old Quarter.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located nearby the palace.

Carp Pond (Ao Ca Bac Ho).

It’s relaxing feeding the carps, something the Vietnamese President used to do in his spare time.