"Upon returning to Vietnam and ascending to the throne as Emperor, I will do nothing but indulge in worldly pleasures."

Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy was the only son of Emperor Khải Định, and was established as Crown Prince at the age of 9. In June 1922, Vĩnh Thụy was adopted by the couple, former Resident of Central Vietnam, Jean François Eugène Charles, and his wife, and studied in France. In 1925, Emperor Khải Định died, and Vĩnh Thụy returned to Vietnam to mourn. In January 1926, at the age of 12, the Crown Prince was enthroned as the successor Emperor, taking the regnal name Bảo Đại. In March of the same year, Bảo Đại returned to France to continue his studies.

Thus, throughout his childhood and school years, Bao Dai's visits back to his homeland could be counted on the fingers of one hand. He received Western education and culture and lifestyle until he was 19 years old.

"Upon returning to Vietnam and ascending to the throne as Emperor, I will do nothing but indulge in worldly pleasures."

That was one of the statements made by Crown Prince Vinh Thuy upon his departure from France to return and continue "ruling" a country. True to his word, the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was famously known for his extravagant lifestyle and notorious debauchery. He mastered many forms of enjoyment: from dancing and playing golf to collecting cars, hunting, and of course, being a "devotee" of travel.

In September 1932, when Bảo Đại returned from his studies in France, automobiles had only been present in Vietnam for about 27 years, and their prices were certainly not for everyone. With his enormous fortune and extravagant spending habits, the young emperor did not hesitate to splurge on his car collection. In his book "Bảo Đại or the Last Days of the Kingdom of Annam," published in 2006, French author Daniel Grandclément compared the tastes of King Louis XVI of France to those of the former Nguyễn dynasty emperor: "Louis XVI was fascinated by locks, while Bảo Đại enjoyed tinkering with car engines for hours."

Bao Dai once owned a large, 4-ton Mercedes with 3cm thick glass and armor that could withstand 8mm submachine gun and machine gun bullets; four limousines; a front-wheel-drive Citroën; Ferrari and Bentley sports cars; and several airplanes and yachts.

All these cars were used by the Emperor for sightseeing and traveling everywhere. Nguyen Huu Dao, the driver who took Bao Dai all over the country (and abroad) for 15 years, recounted a story: “That day, March 9th, the Japanese staged a coup against the French, the country was in turmoil, but the former emperor was still busy hunting in a forest in the Khe Sanh area, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province.” The Japanese troops invaded Hue but couldn't find the Emperor. After learning of this, they sent someone to escort him from Quang Tri back to the capital. However, the very next day, the Emperor asked Mr. Dao to drive him to Touranne (Da Nang) for a vacation.

From then on, traveling long distances by car became increasingly common in Dai Nam. It can be said that the period when Bao Dai indulged in pleasure and luxury marked the beginning of car-based travel in our country.

"Mostly, after a day of wandering in the deep forest, I return to my hut, feeling refreshed by the tranquility of the woods."

Besides his passion for cars, Bao Dai was also avid hunters. Almost every week or month, the king would leave the capital to seek enjoyment in the remote mountains. One of his favorite destinations was the Central Highlands, a region rich in wildlife and birds. Although the road from Hue to the highlands was long, traffic was sparse, so each time he traveled, the king would have his car driven non-stop from Hue to Da Lat without stopping overnight.

In the Central Highlands, Bảo Đại also established a vast elephant pasture in the middle of Buôn Đắk Liêng, Lắk District (now Lắk town, Đắk Lắk province), as a grazing area for his herd of hundreds of elephants. To satisfy his unparalleled pleasure-seeking lifestyle, Bảo Đại had a resort villa built on a mountaintop overlooking Lake Lắk. This was a prime location to observe the vast Buôn Jun and Buôn Liên villages, or to admire the magnificent elephant parade performed by the most skilled elephant handlers in the Central Highlands. The old frangipani trees along the road leading to the villa today were also planted by Bảo Đại himself.

However, Quang Tri was Bao Dai's hunting ground, a place he particularly liked to relax. In his memoir "The Annam Dragon," Bao Dai wrote about his hunting grounds in Quang Tri:

“There, I have a thousand acres of hills and mountains, with forests located south of Cam Lo. In those large forests, there are several winding streams with cool water, and all the wild animals of my country: elephants, tigers, buffaloes, deer, and wild boars. On that land, on a hillside, there is a stilt house with a balcony, like all the stilt houses of the Montagnard people.”

[...] Standing on the balcony, looking out over the valley between the two hills, I could observe the movement of a herd of wild buffalo, a species of animal that is both beautiful and magnificent, yet very dangerous, with many reaching two meters in height.

“To this day, I still find joy in those afternoons at the Quang Tri hunting camp. The Empress sometimes accompanied us. Occasionally, I had some friends join us. We spent many open afternoons in a friendly, family-like atmosphere. But mostly, after a day of wandering in the deep forest, I would return to my hut, feeling refreshed by the silence of the forest after sunset. Before night fell and the sun went to sleep, there was a mournful lament of insects, like earthworms and crickets unanimously praising the day gone by. Then came complete silence. The presence of the land seemed to be only the damp scent of forest trees and moss before the endless expanse...”

And so, Bao Dai – the emperor who was firmly associated with the image of a pleasure-seeking, extravagant king – turned out to be a man who loved the mountains and forests, and longed for the tranquility of immersing himself in nature.

"During walks, solitude suits my soul."

Besides his estates in the imperial capital of Hue, Bao Dai also owned numerous villas and mansions spread throughout the three regions of Vietnam: North, Central, and South. Wherever he went, the former emperor prioritized luxury and extravagance. What's remarkable is that these mansions were all located in prime locations, on land that, even today, when later generations of Vietnamese people visit, easily evoke admiration:It couldn't be more ideal..

In the South, Bảo Đại had the White Palace (Bạch Dinh) located on the slopes of a large mountain in Vũng Tàu city. With its "mountain-backed, sea-facing" location, the White Palace not only offered romantic sea views but also held significant feng shui meaning. In 1934, this "White Villa" (Villa Blanche), originally built for the French Governor-General, was ceded to serve as a summer retreat for Bảo Đại and Empress Nam Phương. Most of the walls of the White Palace were whitewashed, combined with arched doorways and tiled roofs, creating a luxurious, elegant, and classically artistic appearance of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In Central Vietnam, there are five buildings named after Bảo Đại: Bảo Đại Palaces I, II, and III in Da Lat, Bảo Đại Villa in Dak Lak, and Bảo Đại Pavilion in Nha Trang. Da Lat holds many memories of Bảo Đại; it is also where he first met Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan – the only woman to be crowned Empress of the Nguyễn Dynasty. All three palaces are situated on high pine-covered hills, offering a cool, green, and romantic atmosphere characteristic of the misty city.

The three mansions mentioned above, along with the Bao Dai Palace, are all located in the city center, situated in prime, "golden land" locations. The Bao Dai Palace, located just 6 km south of Nha Trang city center, is a complex comprising five of the most beautiful villas in Vietnam.

The Bao Dai Villa in Do Son (Hai Phong) is the only royal residence of the Nguyen Dynasty in Northern Vietnam. Located on Vung Hill, the villa was built in 1928 and gifted to Emperor Bao Dai by the Governor-General of Indochina, Pafquiere, in 1949. Whenever the Emperor and Empress traveled to Northern Vietnam, they almost always chose this place for work, receiving guests, and as a family retreat. From here, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Do Son peninsula and gaze out at the vast ocean stretching to the horizon. The climate in this area is also very mild and cool, ideal for rest and relaxation.

Furthermore, few people know that Bảo Đại also owned two luxurious old French villas in Hanoi: one on Ngọc Hà Street (Ba Đình District) and the other on Trần Hưng Đạo Street (Hoàn Kiếm District). In 1945, after abdicating, Bảo Đại briefly lived there.

Of course, Bao Dai didn't just visit these places; he traveled through and cherished countless other romantic encounters in many parts of Vietnam. Perhaps Bao Dai didn't diligently study how to govern, but he did diligently travel, "discovering the beauty of the suburbs," or "going to Buon Ma Thuot, where there's a house by the lake on a high mountain, which was once the crater of a volcano."

As he himself once said,"Often, I would go on such long walks, only returning late at night. During those walks, the solitude was perfectly suited to my lonely soul."

An - Photo: Internet