In 1930, the Indochina Bank building in Hanoi (now the headquarters of the State Bank of Vietnam, 49 Ly Thai To Street) was still under construction. The French-language weekly newspaper *Awakening of the Indochina Economy* likened the building to an impregnable fortress, not unlike the Bastille – a fortress that had once served as a prison in Paris.
The structure was so massive it was unbelievable, so much so that the newspaper even sarcastically remarked that if any unrest occurred, several hundred French people living around the area could flee here for refuge, since Hanoi was too far away. According to journalist Jean Joly's notes, the basement where the gold and banknotes were kept had thick reinforced concrete walls and large doors with heavy iron bars, looking no different from a prison.
The roof has 20 circular domes that provide light to the main hall.
SKETCHES BY ARCHITECT TRAN XUAN HONG