Look...Hove Town Hall with tanks in front of it.

This is the Reunification Palace in HCMC where communist troops overthrew the Vietnamese Republic in 1975. In 1868 a residence was built here for the French governor and after the French left Vietnam it became home to South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. He was so unpopular that in 1962 his own air force bombed the palace in an attempt to kill him. He ordered a new palace built on the same site (with a bomb shelter and underground communication rooms from which to quell rebellions) which was finished in 1966. The result is what the guidebook describes as "an outstanding example of 1960s architecture." Well it is an outstanding example of 1960s architecture but whether that means it's any good is another matter. The inside is a curious mix of tasteful and elaborate Asian style and godawful mid-sixties sofas and chunky brown chairs. All in all a great place from which to organise resistance against armed insurgents...or possibly host Abigail's Party. I'm not kidding. All that's missing is the fondue set and soda-stream. Would have posted pictures of the interior but due to my wonderful eye all the pictures I took made it look quite nice. By the way, Diem was killed by his own troops in 1963.