Palace

Reunification Palace

#3of 10 places to visit in Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City, Southeast Vietnam, Vietnam

Also known as Independence Palace · Dinh Doc Lap · Dinh Thong Nhat · Reunification Hall

Quick answer

Opening hours: Varies by season or area, last entry 15:30. Entry: ₫80,000. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: 07:00 - 09:00.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Balon Greyjoy / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Opening hours: Hours vary; 07:00 - 18:00 daily per the official site; the ticket counter at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia opens 07:00 - 18:00 and the counter at 106 Nguyen Du opens 08:00 - 16:00. Third-party guides list last admission between 15:30 and 17:00, so verify at the official site.
Entry fee: ₫80,000; Ticket from
Time needed: 1.5 hrs
Best time of day: 07:00 - 09:00
Best months: Dec – Mar
Address: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City 700000

About Reunification Palace

Reunification Palace charges 80,000 VND for adults for the palace and exhibition combined, as of 2026, and is the building where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gate at 10:45 on 30 April 1975, ending the Vietnam War. The palace is a four-storey modernist block of concrete, glass and perforated screens standing 26 metres high, set in landscaped grounds in central Ho Chi Minh City. Its 1960s furniture, reception halls, rooftop helipad and basement command bunker were left largely in place after the war, so the rooms read as a preserved snapshot of the South Vietnamese government rather than a rebuilt exhibit.

Best time of day: 07:00 - 09:00. Before tour coaches arrive and while the basement bunker and upper floors are cooler.

Reunification Palace timings

Opening hours: Hours vary; Mon–Sun Varies by season or area; 07:00 - 18:00 daily per the official site; the ticket counter at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia opens 07:00 - 18:00 and the counter at 106 Nguyen Du opens 08:00 - 16:00. Third-party guides list last admission between 15:30 and 17:00, so verify at the official site.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	Varies by season or area

Opening hours compiled from dinhdoclap.gov.vn and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Reunification Palace ticket price

Entry fees for Reunification Palace
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	₫80,000
Concession (student / senior)	₫40,000
Children	₫20,000

The 80,000 VND adult ticket (as of 2026, official price list valid from 1 May 2026) covers the palace and the exhibition; a palace-only ticket is 40,000 VND for adults, 20,000 VND for Vietnamese university students and 10,000 VND for children aged 6-16. The concession rate of 40,000 VND applies to seniors aged 60 and above and Vietnamese university students; children aged 6-16 pay 20,000 VND. The optional electric-car ride inside the grounds costs 25,000 VND per person per ride. Ticket-counter hours differ between the two gates, so verify at the official site or the gate.

Prices compiled from dinhdoclap.gov.vn and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Reunification Palace

Quiet
Moderate
Very busy

07:00 - 09:00
Opening WindowBest time to go
First entries move through the ground-floor reception rooms without queueing; the best window for photographing the empty halls.
Quiet
09:00 - 11:30
Tour Group Peak
Coach groups fill the stairwells and the basement bunker; passing on narrow stairs slows to a shuffle.
Very busy
11:30 - 14:00
Midday Heat
Group traffic thins around lunch, though the unshaded lawn and courtyard are at their hottest.
Moderate
14:00 - 16:30
Afternoon
Steady individual visitors; last admissions arrive before the palace closes to visitors.
Moderate

History of Reunification Palace

Reunification Palace stands on the site of Norodom Palace, the 19th-century residence built for the French governors of Cochinchina. Two dissident South Vietnamese Air Force pilots bombed that building in February 1962, and President Ngo Dinh Diem ordered a replacement. The architect Ngo Viet Thu, who had won the Prix de Rome at the Paris Beaux-Arts school in 1955, designed the new palace, and construction ran from 1 July 1962 to 31 October 1966. Diem was killed in a coup in 1963 and never lived in it; General Nguyen Van Thieu inaugurated the completed building.

Reunification Palace received its present name in November 1975, after the government of the reunified country renamed it Reunification Hall. Two tanks are parked on the lawn as a reminder of the 30 April 1975 assault, and the museum's framing of that day is the official Vietnamese one. The palace now works as both a museum and a venue for state functions, so some rooms can close at short notice for official events.

Rules & etiquette at Reunification Palace

Reunification Palace expects covered shoulders and knees, and staff at the entrance can refuse visitors in sleeveless tops or short shorts. Large bags are best left at the hotel, and the security check at the gate runs bags through a scanner. Photography is allowed in most rooms, though the basement war rooms are narrow and tripods are not practical. Barrier ropes keep visitors out of the reception rooms, so displays are viewed from the doorway rather than from inside.

Reunification Palace has two ticket gates on different streets, and the official price list separates a palace-only ticket from the palace-and-exhibition ticket. Buying the wrong one at the counter is the most common mistake, so state which ticket is wanted before paying.

Tips for visiting Reunification Palace

1
Reunification Palace works best in an early morning slot, when the queue at the 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia gate is short and the concrete building has not yet absorbed the day's heat. A guided tour is not compulsory, but the printed placards are brief; an audio guide or a licensed guide adds the context on the 1963 coup and the last hours of the Republic of Vietnam.
2
Reunification Palace sits within a 15-minute walk of the War Remnants Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral and Ben Thanh Market, so the four fit into a single day on foot. The basement bunker, with its map rooms and wall-mounted telephones, is the section most visitors rush; allow 20 minutes there. Tipping is not expected at any point on the visit.

How to reach Reunification Palace

The red star is Reunification Palace; the numbered pins are the 8 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City 700000Directions in Google Maps

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
7 km · 25-40 min
150,000-250,000 VND taxi/Grab; bus 109, roughly 15,000-20,000 VND.
From Ben Thanh Metro Station (Line 1)
1 km · 12-15 min
Free on foot; 25,000-40,000 VND Grab from the station.
From War Remnants Museum
1.2 km · 15-18 min
Free on foot; 20,000-35,000 VND Grab.

Nearest airport

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)

about 7km, 25-40 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Nearest station

From Ben Thanh Metro Station (Line 1)

about 1.0km, 12-15 minutes on foot.

Reunification Palace FAQs

How much does Reunification Palace cost to enter?

80,000 VND for adults for the palace and exhibition combined, as of 2026. Seniors aged 60 and above and Vietnamese university students pay 40,000 VND, children aged 6-16 pay 20,000 VND, and a palace-only adult ticket is 40,000 VND. Verify at the official site.

What happened at Reunification Palace on 30 April 1975?

A North Vietnamese army tank drove through the palace gate at 10:45, ending the Vietnam War. Duong Van Minh, the last president of South Vietnam, was inside the building and handed over power to the incoming forces.

Is the underground bunker open to visitors?

Yes, the basement command bunker is part of the standard visitor route. It contains map rooms, radio equipment and telephones from the 1960s, and the corridors are narrow and can be slow when tour groups pass.

What time does Reunification Palace open and close?

The palace opens at 07:00 and closes at 18:00 daily according to the official site. The two ticket counters keep different hours, and some third-party guides list an earlier last admission, so verify at the gate.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places