TRAVERSE 70
of power. Originally, the site held the Norodom Palace, constructed by the French colonial administration in the nineteenth century as a statement of imperial authority in Indochina. After the French departure, it became the presidential palace of South Vietnam before being severely damaged in a 1962 bombing carried out by dissident South Vietnamese pilots attempting to assassinate President Ngô Đình Diệm. Rather than restore it, Diệm ordered an entirely new structure— modern, ambitious and distinctly Vietnamese in character.
The result was the work of architect Ngô Viết Thụ, the first Vietnamese architect to win the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome. His design blended stark modernist lines with subtle traditional symbolism. At first glance the palace appears restrained, even austere, but closer inspection reveals careful cultural references embedded throughout. The façade’ s vertical concrete fins evoke bamboo screens, filtering light and heat while subtly referencing traditional Vietnamese design. The layout itself was influenced by principles of feng shui and notions
a design blended of stark modernist loines with subtle traditional symbolism
TRAVERSE 70