Presidential Palace, Hanoi

This ochre-yellow colonial mansion in the Ba Dinh district was built in the early twentieth century as the residence of the French governor-general of Indochina, designed in a grand Beaux-Arts style with symmetrical wings and formal gardens. After independence the country's leader famously declined to live in its opulent halls, choosing a simple stilt house nearby instead. Today used for state receptions, its interior is generally closed, but visitors can walk the surrounding grounds and mango-lined avenues.