Hanoi Presidential Palace

January 13th, 2009 - 10:43pm

The Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam. This is as close as most of us will ever get.

After almost (actually, probably over) of wandering, we finally managed to make it into the area of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex where all of the most interesting buildings are located.

This French Colonial building, built in 1901 is only different to other examples littered around Hanoi in that it is kept in magnificent condition. Otherwise, one can see many buildings this age all over the city.

Although I wrote that Hanoi feels like Paris on our first morning there, I neglected to add that it would only feel like Paris if all the French people moved out, Vietnamese people moved in, neglected to clean it for a century and forgot every road rule they ever knew.

So yes, it does look decidedly French, except for the bits that aren’t. But back to the photo: The angles in this area were very limited so this is about as front-on as one can get without being arrested. I like the red carpet on the stairs, and the way it’s directly under the third window at the top. The lamps on the left hand side I tried to crop, as well as the leaves at the very top but in the end I preferred them in frame.

The repetition of the giant tree (on the right and on very left) makes it feel as though you’ve walked around the corner, so it’s a very matter-of-fact shot. But I still like it.

Tags: asia 2008, building, hanoi, lamp, photoblog, presidential palace, stairs, tree, vietnam