The first thing you see after buying your ticket and entering the site is the Presidential Palace itself. This beautiful old yellow-painted colonial building was once the mansion of the French Governor-General of Indochina. When Ho Chi Minh became president, it was offered to him as an official state residence, but he declined. He was used to living a much more modest and simple life, and opted instead to live in a much smaller house built on the property. Nowadays, the Presidential Palace is used for official government meetings and state functions.
The grounds of the palace are beautiful and shady. Tall old mango trees grow throughout the grounds, keeping it fairly cool even in the hottest part of the year.
One of the most fascinating parts on display is Ho Chi Minh's original wooden stilt house. It was where he used to live before he became the president, and it was moved to the grounds of the Presidential Palace Museum to be put on display.
The stilt house is very simple - just two spartan rooms - but surprisingly it looks quite cozy and comfortable.
In the center of the compound is a big fish pond, swimming with big koi. I can see why the French governors built this place. Even in the brutal summer heat of Hanoi, it's a lot cooler within the walls of the Presidential Palace compound than it is outside.
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