The former presidential residence of South Vietnam is definitely a highlight of any trip to Ho Chi Minh City. Do spend some time to explore the vast concrete structure and check out different state rooms in the building. The panorama of HCMC at the roof is impressive.

It's rare that you get to see a whole property when touring historical properties but that is not the case here. You get to go everywhere and at your own pace if you do the self guided audio tour. Great actually being where some very historical events took place. There a couple of cafes within the grounds so easy to take a break before carrying on with your holiday.

Nice place with almost intact decor. Just gotta be wary of this particular coconut hawker who goes around chatting tourists up. He’ll then offer the coconuts that he is hawking and when you want to make payment for it, he’ll ask for a ridiculous price. Just wanted to put all on notice for this guy. This guy speaks relatively conversational English.

Formerly known as the Presidential Palace of the last South Vietnamese government, it is now a museum of sorts renamed The Independence Palace. You can see the radio transmitters in the basement, and the offices and living quarters above. Some beautiful lacquer panels and Chinese rugs with furnishings still remain. No air conditioning that I was aware of. Bring a fan.

A must. Very interesting. How long you spend depends on you. If you just do the main palace, then one and a half hours is enough. There are various ticket options including audio, guided or just a standard entrance ticket. I opted for the latter which was fine. There are information boards inside in English, French and Vietnamese. If you don't understand any of these languages, then you may want to get the audio. Well laid out and in a good condition. The palace is really warm inside. Felt hotter than outside! Some windows were open and there were the odd air conditioning units but still. I thought I was going to pass out at one stage. The floors of the palace are set over a few levels. You can either walk up the stairs or there is a lift. The grounds are huge. You can purchase drinks and snacks. Souvenir shop as well on the premises. Standard entrance ticket was cheap. The other tickets were more pricier.

Located in the heart of the city, this palace is very well maintained. The palace gates is a very good place for taking photos, with their well-manicured lawns overlooked by the royal-looking palace itself. There are a lot of rooms and artefacts to explore, which showed glimpses of Vietnam’s royalty and the civil war. A proper 2+ hours experience.

A chance to see some gruesome 1970s furniture, arranged so as to accommodate a visiting foreign delegation. And to appreciate the splendours of a brutalist concrete palace. Ok - I’m being a little facetious: This is just how the palace was before the communists seized power, and to that extent it has some interest. Perhaps most compelling is the underground bunker complete with telex centre and stone-age radio receiving equipment. The gardens are also pleasant and offer a welcome respite from Saigon’s incessant traffic. However, we found that just a little of this place went quite a long way.

Interesting place to visit while in HCM. You’ll learn about some of the history of Vietnam, how this palace started, each rooms and its purpose and the soothing colors of the furniture. The grounds are well maintained; trees and plants surrounding the palace.

It's an overwhelming building in size, you can't miss it. I passed it several times in HCMC, but couldn't make time to go inside. There's so many significant places to see, I ended up doing a temple hop in Cholon (Chinatown).

Please do visit this wonderful building, an architectural mid century gem, which is so much part of Vietnam's recent history. Lots of information provided outside each room. We also visited the Bunker room - fascinating maps and charts on the walls. Lovely cafe in the grounds too.