(or Nha Hat Lon). The centerpiece of French architecture in Hanoi and one of the grandest buildings in the city, the Hanoi Opera House is a small-scale version of the Paris Opéra designed by Charles Garnier and completed in 1875. The Hanoi structure, finished in 1911, incorporates the same grand elements of Napoleonic architectural style. Perhaps because of the theater's French history, its steps were the site of frequent denunciations against colonial rule. Immediately following World War II, in August 1945, Vietminh troops commandeered the Opera House and announced from its balcony the triumph of the August Revolution. Complete with an enhanced orchestra pit for 60 musicians and a movable stage, the 400-seat, three-tier theater hosts national celebrations, ballet, symphonies, pop and rock concerts, and opera. Seeing a show may be the only way to get into the Opera House, as its doors are usually closed.
