The Former Supreme Court Building

This building was constructed between 1900 and 1906 by the French architect Auguste-Henri Vildieu, and opened shortly afterward during the period of French Indochina. At first glance, its neoclassical design makes a clear statement: this was a place where colonial law was enforced. The perfectly symmetrical façade draws on Greco-Roman architecture, with columns, pilasters, cornices, and pediments, a style widely used by the French Third Republic to project order, stability, and the power of the state. The structure rises over several levels and is coated with a plaster finish made to resemble cut stone, a practical yet prestigious technique that was very common in early twentieth-century Hanoi. The Mansard roof, another French hallmark, and the decorative metal canopies make the whole place feel like an official building imported straight from Europe. During the colonial period, this Palace of Justice was part of a tightly controlled system alongside the police and Hỏa Lò Prison, located just a few hundred meters away, creating a direct link between arrest, trial, and detention. After 1954, the building stayed in use under Vietnamese authorities, and after reunification in 1975 it became a key symbol of justice in a unified Vietnam. In recent years, it has been officially listed as a national historical site, valued not just for its heritage, but also for its political significance.