Municipal Theatre

The Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon Opera House, is an opera house in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is an example of French Colonial architecture in Vietnam.

Built in 1897 by French architect Eugene Ferret as the Opera de Saigon, the 800 seat building was used as the home of the Lower House assembly of South Vietnam after 1956. It was not until 1975 that it was again used as a theatre, and restored in 1995.

The Municipal Theatre is a smaller counterpart of the Hanoi Opera House, which was built between 1901 and 1911, and shaped like the Opera Garnier in Paris. The Municipal Theatre owes its specific characteristics to the work of architect Felix Olivier, while construction was under supervision of architects Ernest Guichard and Eugene Ferret in 1900.

Its architectural style is influenced by the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic, with the façade shaped like the Petit Palais which was built in the same year in France. The house had a main seating floor plus two levels of seating above, and was capable of accommodating 1,800 people. The design of all the inscriptions, décor, and furnishings were drawn by a French artist and sent from France.