Completed in 1906 as the residence of the French Governor-General of Indochina. It became the official residence of the President of North Vietnam following independence in 1954, and later of the President of Vietnam following reunification in 1975. Ho Chi Minh was said to have refused to live in the palace for symbolic reasons, though he used it to receive state guests. The building is not open to the public, but you can view it from the outside and take photographs.

The Presidential Palace of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Phủ Chủ tịch), located in the city of Hanoi, currently is the official residence of the president of Vietnam and the seat of the presidential office. Before 1954, it was named the Palace of the Governor-General of Indochina (French: Palais du Gouvernement général de l'Indochine, Vietnamese: Phủ Toàn quyền Đông Dương).

In the present, the building serves as a location for state ceremonial activities while Tonkin Palace functions as the headquarters of Office of President of Vietnam.