Changes at Saigon's former Presidential Palace

A constant frustration for travellers to Vietnam is the lack of meaningful information at major historical sites. Vietnamese tourism officials seem to underestimate both the appetite of travellers for historical information and the level of traveller interest in the country's story. A rigidly ideological view of history no doubt complicates matters further. In 2013, there was a modest but important step forward at one of Saigon's most visited historical sites, the pre-1975 Presidential Palace, now known as the Reunification Palace. Images of North Vietnamese tanks criashing through the gates of this building on 30 April 1975, came to mark the end of the Vietnam War. In a surprising collaboration with the former colonial ruler, France, information boards have been placed around the building adding some much needed context for visitors. It's a positive start and hopefully there's more to come here and at historical sites throughout Vietnam. This image shows the office of South Vietnamese President from 1967 to 1975, Nguyen Van Thieu, largely unchanged from when he fled, 9 days before the fall of Saigon. The shortlived presidencies of his successors presumably didn't allow time to set up in Thieu's former office. They are not mentioned.