Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City, Opera house in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City is an opera house in downtown Ho Chi Minh City with a colonial facade, classical columns, and carved stonework. The interior follows the Beaux-Arts style with an auditorium seating around 500 people, decorated with gilded details and curved balconies.
Felix Olivier designed the theatre at the end of the 19th century, and work finished in 1900 during French colonial rule. Later, the building served as a parliamentary house for over a decade before returning to performance use.
The building carries both Vietnamese names and French architecture side by side, a sign of the city's layered past. Theatergoers here watch both traditional dance forms from the country and works from Europe, with performances rotating regularly throughout the year.
The Opera House Station on the metro connects the theatre to other parts of the city, and guided tours through the building are available on certain days. Evening performances usually start after 7 p.m., and formal dress is common for many events.
Between 1956 and 1967, lawmakers met in this hall, and the building was then called the Lower House. Only after that did the structure return to its original use as a stage.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
