Bao Dai Palace Nha Trang

From the center of Nha Trang city, go along Tran Phu beach street to the south near the end of the road, close to the port, you will see a small mountain on the left with a small road leading up. Follow this path up the mountain, a space full of colorful flowers and leaves and a beautiful natural landscape opens up. Lovely architectural blocks appear and disappear behind the trees. That is Cau Da Villa area, or often called Bao Dai Palace - Nha Trang.

From Cau Da Villa - flowers by Nha Trang Bay

In the early 20s of the 20th century, the French government in Indochina implemented a marine research strategy in the East Sea and Southeast Asia. That was the premise for the establishment of the Indochina Oceanographic Institute (later the Nha Trang Oceanographic Institute, Khanh Hoa province). But before the Indochina Oceanographic Institute was established and built, the French had established another infrastructure - architecture in this coastal city to serve as a place to live, work, and rest for scientists and oceanographers from the West. That is the Cau Da villa area on Canh Long mountain, located close to the coast, near Cau Da port, currently in Vinh Nguyen ward, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province.

Cau Da Villa is the common name of an architectural complex consisting of 5 villas and some other auxiliary structures built in 1923 on Canh Long Mountain (also known as Chut Mountain). Canh Long Mountain is a small but very famous mountain in Nha Trang because of its special terrain. Canh Long is likened to a green dragon running along and embracing Nha Trang beach. Cau Da Villa is located on a mountain spur jutting out to the sea with an area of ​​about 12 hectares, 50m above sea level. Five villas are located on three high hills of Canh Long Mountain, named by the French with very romantic names of 5 species of trees and flowers grown in abundance in the villa area. The first villa is located on the last hill of the mountain spur protruding closest to the sea and is called "Les Agaves" - Cactus; the second villa on the next hill inland is "Les Frangipaniers" - Succulents; The remaining three villas are located on the third hill, respectively named “Les Bouguinvillés” - Paper Flowers, “Les Flamboyants” - Royal Poinciana, “Les Badamniers” - Banyan Trees.

It was Dr. Armand Krempt (French of German origin), later the first director of the Indochina Oceanographic Institute, who directly commanded the design and construction of the Cau Da villa project. After its completion, the French continued to build the Indochina Oceanographic Institute in 1925, located right next to

The designers have skillfully combined Western architecture with Eastern garden art, creating a harmony between the architecture, garden and natural landscape. The five Cau Da villas are like beautiful flowers on Nha Trang Bay, adding to the beauty of the coastal city.

Dr. Armand Krempt was also the first owner of the Dragon Villa - the villa with the most beautiful location and architecture.

The architecture of the five villas is small, pretty, with 2 floors, in the French classical style. Although the architecture of each villa is different, they have similarities and unity. It is the simplicity in shape with moderate, elegant decorative details, not too fussy but not dry and monotonous. All door systems are two layers of glass inside, shutters outside, suitable for the tropical climate. The authors have skillfully combined Western architecture with Eastern garden art, creating harmony between the architecture of the building, the garden and the natural landscape. The five Cau Da villas are likened to beautiful flowers on Nha Trang Bay, adding to the beauty of the coastal city.

To Bao Dai Tower - Nha Trang

In 1926, Bao Dai ascended the throne as Emperor, becoming the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty - the last feudal dynasty in Vietnamese history. In the context of many political and diplomatic changes, the French transferred two villas, Xuong Rong and Bong Su, to the Nguyen Dynasty and King Bao Dai to gain political advantages. During the period from 1940 to 1945, King Bao Dai and Queen Nam Phuong and their family often came here to relax, along with other recreational activities such as fishing and swimming. For that reason, Cau Da Villa area is commonly called Bao Dai - Nha Trang Palace.

The name Bao Dai Palace (or Bao Dai Palace) is a general name for the private residences of King Bao Dai, in addition to the properties in the capital Hue. Due to historical circumstances as well as a lifestyle heavily influenced by the West, King Bao Dai had many "palaces" and "palaces" in all three regions of Central - South - North. Bao Dai palaces all have the common feature of being designed and built by the French, with a classical style and are works associated with natural landscapes in the forest and sea, built for the purpose of combining relaxation and work. We can mention Bao Dai palaces in Da Lat, Vung Tau, Dak Lak, Hai Phong. Bao Dai Palace - Nha Trang (also known as Thua Luong Palace) is also among them.

The Dragon Bone and Sua Villas - the two most beautiful villas - were used by King Bao Dai and Queen Nam Phuong for a short stay and left many impressions. According to the remaining documents, the ground floor of the Sua Villa was used as a meeting room to entertain guests, the upper floor was the resting place of the king and queen, the terrace was a place to catch the wind and watch the moon. The east door of the Sua Villa has a path leading to the Dragon Bone Villa, which was created as a flower garden. The Dragon Bone Villa is a great place to admire the scenery because it is located on a mountain promontory jutting out into the sea. From here, you can see the vast landscape of Nha Trang Bay, and the whole city on the coast with a soft curve. The Dragon Bone Villa faces straight east, welcoming the morning sun and the strong wind from the sea. From here, there is also a way down to the pier, a way down to a very beautiful beach called the Queen's Beach. The Queen's Beach, although small, is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Nha Trang. On the way to the beach at the sea cliff there is a big rock where King Bao Dai often sat fishing.

In 1954, after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Accords were signed and Vietnam was temporarily divided into two regions at the 17th parallel in Quang Tri province. After power struggles in the south, Ngo Dinh Diem became president of the first republic. King Bao Dai gradually lost his political role as well as his real power in the country. President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​family became the new owners of the two villas Xuong Rong and Bong Su. Mrs. Tran Le Xuan, wife of advisor Ngo Dinh Nhu (President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​younger brother) changed the name of Xuong Rong villa to Nghinh Phong (welcoming the wind) and Bong Su villa to Vong Nguyet (watching the moon). These new names were more or less related to the living habits of King Bao Dai and the queen; and are still kept to this day. And among the many names of this architectural complex, such as Cau Da Villa, Cau Da Palace, Bao Dai Palace - Nha Trang, Bao Dai Palace - Nha Trang... the name Bao Dai Palace is the most popular and most used name.

Where is the ancient soul in Bao Dai Tourist Area today?

After the country was unified in 1975, Cau Da Villa - Bao Dai Palace became a tourist attraction. After many changes in management and exploitation methods, Cau Da Villa or Bao Dai Palace is now officially called Bao Dai Tourist Area. The old Cau Da Villas are now being exploited as hotels. Some other newly built structures such as Bao Dai Restaurant (capacity of 200 guests), Hoang Hau Restaurant (capacity of 1000 guests), some additional motels, and other auxiliary works. Bao Dai Tourist Area meets 3-star standards with 45 rooms and many restaurant, sightseeing, and tourism services...

Cau Da Villa - Bao Dai Palace are beautiful architectures in a beautiful space. But they will only be soulless shells, houses lacking emotions if they lack the depth of time and history. And if so, they cannot be a strong attraction for tourists to visit or relax. For that reason, in April 2009, Bao Dai Tourist Area officially opened a gallery of documents, images and artifacts related to King Bao Dai. The gallery is located on the ground floor of the most beautiful villa - Nghinh Phong villa.

Visitors can learn here about the history of the Nguyen Dynasty, the life of King Bao Dai, Queen Nam Phuong and members of King Bao Dai's family, through pictures and many related stories. As the last king who lived during the period of great exchange with Western people and culture, King Bao Dai and his family also have the most real pictures (photos). Also in the exhibition room, visitors can see some of the items that the king and queen used such as the guest table and chairs, the telephone, the desk that the king used for work when staying here, the queen's dressing table and mirror set... In particular, this place preserves a valuable artifact, the original of which is a large bed, measuring 2.5m x 1.4m, 18cm thick, made of solid wood from an ancient tree. It is said that the king and queen often sat on this bed - placed in the hallway next to the window - to enjoy the breeze...

The current exhibition hall, though still quite modest, has done an important and meaningful job of reviving history, recalling the old traces of an architecture that has risen and fallen with time and events.

The five villas are nearly a hundred years old. Time and human impacts have more or less changed them, but overall they still retain their structure and shape. The commercial exploitation of these nearly hundred-year-old villas and the construction of other structures within the premises have shown signs of negative impacts on the landscape and architectural space. In addition, the development of tourism services is also creating negative consequences for the environment. These are two different effects that these famous architectural works leave on the hearts of visitors.

The Thanh