On today’s Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day, April 25, visiting the “other Hung Kings’ temple” in Saigon
Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day, which falls on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month each year, is a national holiday honoring the 18 generations of the Hung dynasty, the founding ancestors of Vietnam. In 2026, that day falls on April 25. Many Vietnamese visit the main hall of the Hung Kings’ temple in Phu Tho Province, but in fact, at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, stands a little-known Hung Kings’ temple. Its origin is a World War I war-memorial monument—a building erected in the French colonial era as the “Temple du Souvenir Annamite.”
1927–1929: the true identity of the war memorial the colony built
This building’s history dates back to 1920. In World War I, over 92,000 Vietnamese were mobilized into the French army from French Indochina, and about 12,000 lost their lives. After the war, the Cochinchina (southern Vietnam) authorities decided to build a monument to mourn them, and in 1921 secured land adjacent to the Saigon Botanical Garden.
The construction committee, established under the patronage of Governor Le Gallen, collected 48,000 piastres in donations from Saigon’s wealthy class. In November 1927, the design was entrusted to architect Auguste Delaval, and a brick structure using timber frames from the Thu Dau Mot craft school was adopted. It was completed on January 1, 1929. The inauguration ceremony was held at the same time as the adjacent Blanchard de la Brosse Museum (now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History).
Architecture modeled on Hue royal tombs, and an erased inscription
The design’s motif is the Nguyen dynasty tombs of Hue. The three-tiered upswept roofs are decorated with dragons and phoenixes, and dragon statues are also placed on both sides of the stone steps. Inside stand 12 black wooden pillars representing the twelve zodiac signs, with motifs of sacred beasts—dragon, crane, kirin, turtle, phoenix—carved throughout.
When it was built, the marble stele set in the center was engraved with the names of historical figures such as Le Van Duyet, Phan Thanh Gian, Nguyen Huynh Duc, Truong Vinh Ky, Paulus Cua, and Le Quang Hien, along with the names of the war dead. The newspaper of the time, ‘Le Progrès Annamite,’ described it as “a place uniting historical greats and the war dead of the Great War into one official rite,” and praised it as both “a place of meditation and pilgrimage” and “a cultural masterpiece for tourists.”
1955—the transformation from war memorial to Hung Kings’ temple
In 1955, after the establishment of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), this building was rededicated as the “Temple of the National Ancestors, the Hung Kings (Den Quoc to Hung Vuong),” honoring the founding ancestor of the Hung dynasty. The French-colonial-era purpose of war remembrance disappeared, and its character transformed entirely into a place of Hung King worship, the roots of the Vietnamese people.
However, among local people the old nickname “Den Ky Niem (Memorial Temple)” long remained. After the reunification of north and south in 1975, the monument’s stele was also removed, and the building’s “former life” all but vanished from the official record. Through the research of historian Tim Doling, this structure’s dual identity has again been brought to light.
The current temple interior—the Hung Kings’ altar and a bronze elephant from the King of Siam
| Highlights | Details | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Hung Kings’ altar | Placed at the temple’s center. Honors the 18 generations of the Hung dynasty | A formal rite is held every year on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month |
| Lo Bo (ceremonial regalia) | 8 ceremonial polearms with bronze tips | Decorative items for court ceremonies. Arranged four on each side |
| Dong Son drum replicas | 2 pieces | Replicas of bronze drums symbolizing the pre-Christian-era Dong Son culture |
| Model of the Phu Tho main hall | A miniature of the Hung Kings’ temple main hall | An alternative symbol for worshippers who can’t visit the main hall |
| Bronze elephant | Weighing 3 tons, about 2 m tall | Presented by King Rama VII of Siam (Thailand) on April 14, 1930 |
| Three-tiered roof | Hue Nguyen-dynasty tomb style | Dragon and phoenix decorations remain. Original from the 1929 construction |
The local response—voices of worshippers, historians, and residents
A man in his 60s who came to worship on Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day is surprised: “I come here every year. The main hall in Phu Tho is far, so for us in Saigon this is the place to pray. I didn’t know it used to be a French-era war memorial.”
A researcher at an NGO working on preserving Ho Chi Minh City’s historic architecture proposes: “This building is a living witness connecting the colonial era and post-independence Vietnam. If we could restore the content of the removed stele and create an exhibit noting the dual history side by side, the educational value would leap dramatically.”
A Japanese tourist (in his 30s) who dropped by while strolling the botanical garden gave his impression: “It wasn’t in the guidebook. It’s right next to the botanical garden, yet I almost missed it. The exterior is Vietnamese traditional architecture itself, and inside there’s a solemn atmosphere.”
Why Japanese travelers should visit, and points to note
The Hung Kings’ temple isa hidden spot in Ho Chi Minh City,and we recommend a visit for the following reasons.
- Good location: Along Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1, right next to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History and the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden. Also within walking distance of the Independence Palace and Ben Thanh Market
- The duality of history: Learning the transition from a World War I monument to a sacred site of the founding myth deepens your understanding of Vietnam’s modern history
- Photogenic: The three-tiered-roof Nguyen-dynasty architecture, together with the surrounding greenery, makes for a beautiful composition
- Worship etiquette: Take off your shoes to enter the hall. Incense can be bought at the entrance. Photography is allowed, but refrain from flash. Avoid loud conversation
A route combining it with the surrounding area
A visit to the Hung Kings’ temple is efficient when combined with the historical and cultural spots in the eastern part of District 1.
| Order | Spot | Time required | Admission | Yen conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hung Kings’ temple | 20–30 minutes | Free | – |
| 2 | Ho Chi Minh City History Museum | 60–90 minutes | 30,000 VND | About 180 yen |
| 3 | Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens | 60–90 minutes | 50,000 VND | About 300 yen |
| 4 | Jade Emperor Pagoda (Ngoc Hoang Temple) | 30 min | Free | – |
| 5 | A break at a nearby café | 30–60 minutes | 40,000〜80,000 VND | About 240–480 yen |
Adventure experiences in Da Lat—in contrast to active trips like this, a quiet half-day course touring Saigon’s historic architecture is another way to enjoy a trip to Vietnam.
Vietnam’s “repurposing of memory”—the trend of reinterpreting colonial heritage
The case of the Hung Kings’ temple is a typical example of the “repurposing of colonial heritage” seen throughout Vietnam. Buildings erected during the French governance period have been reinterpreted in a Vietnamese context after independence and given new functions.Cafés that make use of Ho Chi Minh City’s old buildingsare also in the same context. While the Saigon Central Post Office and Notre-Dame Cathedral remain as tourist attractions, buildings repurposed into religious facilities like the Hung Kings’ temple become a history textbook in the transition itself.
As of 2026, Ho Chi Minh City is advancing a review of its list of French-colonial-era architectural heritage, and an expansion of preservation targets is under discussion. The Hung Kings’ temple may be included in this list.
Summary—a hidden sacred site in Saigon to visit precisely on Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day
The Hung Kings’ temple at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street is a quiet place off the standard guidebook route, but it’s a rare spot where you can experience the layered nature of Vietnam’s history—the colonial era, the independence movement, the founding myth—in a single building. The memory of the 12,000 Vietnamese soldiers who died in World War I and the reverence for the Hung Kings, the founding ancestors of 4,000 years ago, coexist under the same roof. On your next visit to Ho Chi Minh City, while touring the Museum of History and the zoo and botanical garden, do visit this hidden sacred site for just 15 minutes. If you look up at the incense smoke beneath the three-tiered roof, a history of Saigon not written in textbooks comes into view.
