The Grand Palais or Grand Palais de l'Exposition () was an

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

and

trade fair A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...

complex in

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. It was built for the 1902 Hanoi Exhibition world trade fair, as the city became the capital of

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

. It was completely destroyed by American airstrikes in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

Hanoi became the capital of

in 1902 replacing

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

. Earlier activities to mark the change included a festival on 26 February 1902 attended by emperor Thành Thái and the governor general Paul Doumer and the opening of the Paul Doumer Bridge (now Long Biên Bridge). Paul Doumer also wanted to host a large-scaled world expo in Hanoi. The building was designed by Adolphe Bussy and was completed in 1902 prior to the fair, which lasted between November 1902 and February 1903. The high construction cost of the exhibition palace and the long duration of the fair left Hanoi's budget in deficit for a decade. After the fair, the complex became the ''Maurice Long Museum'', the first and largest economics museum in

. It was named after the 1920s' Governor-General of Indochina. When the Japanese took over Vietnam, they based their military and supply in the palace. Later, American air raids at the end of World War II completely destroyed the building. The only remnants of the palace are two big bronze lion statues, which are now placed in front of the Vietnam Central Circus building in the Reunification Park in Hai Bà Trưng District. The modern site of the palace now stands the ''Friendship Cultural Palace'' (), a concert venue in southern Hoàn Kiếm District. The concert hall was built by the Soviets.

Location

The site of the Grand Palais was on Boulevard Gambetta in the French Quarter south of Hoàn Kiếm lake near the

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

. The modern site is on Trần Hưng Đạo street in Hoàn Kiếm District, a major avenue hosting several foreign embassies, state ministries and corporate headquarters. The French Embassy is located three blocks away from the site, on the same avenue.

References

External links

Poster for the exhibition

Hanoi postcards from turn of the 19th 20th century including several from the exhibition {{authority control French colonial empire World's fair architecture in Asia Historical sites in Hanoi Buildings and structures in Hanoi French colonial architecture in Vietnam