Presidential Palace

This guide to the Presidential Palace in Hanoi follows Paul Doumer, the French governor-general who taxed opium, wine and salt to fund a Paris-style Hanoi, and the mustard-yellow palace built as the seat for whichever administrator would rule Vietnam next. You'll hear what became of Doumer after he returned to France and climbed the ladder of national politics, and how twenty-nine French governors passed through these halls before independence. Notice the marble and gilt inside, built for a rule that lasted less than half a century.