HCMC stops receiving bookings for tour of government office

After five days of registrations, 1,440 visitors booked the tour visiting the seat of government, the department said.

"To better serve visitors, the department will not receive any new registrations," it announced.

One-hour sightseeing tours of the building will be organized from 8 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 29-30.

There will be 48 tours, each with no more than 30 visitors.

Visitors can only carry essential items such as phones and water bottles and are required to comply with pandemic prevention measures.

They will first gather at the Ho Chi Minh Statue Park opposite the complex to learn about its history and architecture.

They will then be taken inside to see the cultural, historical and architectural features with a tour of the ground floor lobby, main stairs, international reception rooms, meeting rooms, and balconies overlooking Nguyen Hue pedestrian street.

The building at 86 Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1 was designed by French architect Femand Gardes.

Its construction started in 1889 and finished in 1909.

In 2020 the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized it as a national architectural relic.