| Saigon Governor's Palace | |
|---|---|
Palais du Gouverneur, Saigon | |
 The Governor's Palace in Saigon, 1873 | |
  | |
| Alternative names | Norodom Palace, Independence Palace |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Head of state residence |
| Architectural style | Neo-Baroque |
| Town or city | Saigon |
| Country | French Indochina |
| Coordinates | 10°46′37″N 106°41′43″E / 10.776944°N 106.695278°E |
| Groundbreaking | 23 March 1868 |
| Inaugurated | 1873 |
| Demolished | 1962 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Achille-Antoine Hermitte |
The Saigon Governor's Palace (French: Palais du Gouverneur, Saigon; Vietnamese: Dinh Thống đốc, Sài Gòn), also known as the Norodom Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Norodom) and then renamed Independence Palace, was a government building in Saigon, French Cochinchina, built between 1868 and 1873.
It contained the residence of the Governor of Cochinchina, administrative offices, reception rooms and ballrooms. The imposing and very expensive neo-Baroque building was intended to impress the people of Saigon with the power and wealth of the French. In October 1887 Cochinchina became part of the Indo-Chinese Union and soon after the Lieutenant Governor of Cochinchina moved to a new, less pretentious mansion. In 1902 the main seat of government in French Indochina was moved to Hanoi by governor Paul Doumer. The building continued to be used for ceremonial purposes, and became the residence of the President of South Vietnam in 1954. It was bombed and badly damaged during an attempted coup in 1962, torn down and replaced by the present Independence Palace.