Bach Dinh with Historical Stories
Villa Blanche, also known as Bach Dinh (White Place), has for a long time been on the list of must- see destinations for visitors when visiting Vung Tau, a coastal city to the northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
Located between Bai Truoc (Front Beach) and Bai Dau (Strawberry Beach) on the hillside of Lon (Big) mountain, 50m above sea level, the mansion stands out with its white appearance, red tile roof and a view towards the sea.
Bach Dinh was constructed by the French from 1898 to 1902 and it used to be a retreat for the governorgeneral of French Indochina, Paul Doumer, King Bao Dai and the Presidents of the Republic of Vietnam. It is the place where King Thanh Thai was once confined from 1907 to 1916 for his non-cooperation and thoughts against the French.
Bach Dinh is a 3-story building, 19m high, 25m long, painted white and has arched doors and a red tiled roof. The French architectural style of the mansion is clearly seen from its whole structure to artistic decorative patterns and colourful mosaics, such as a pair of turquoise peacocks with sparkling silver dots, spread wings and dancing.
There are also beautiful paintings of European women, a pair of carps, chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Colored enamel porcelain is the main material used for decoration and image creation. The three main walls of the palace are decorated with eight elegantly sculptured Greek-style busts which portray famous figures in European history.
Apart from the architectural and historical values, Bach Dinh is also a museum which showcases many valuable antiques imbued with Vietnamese culture which were used for decoration. They include a set of Royal settees dating back to 1921 during the reign of King Khai Dinh, a pair of giant vases with decorative phoenixes and a trio statues of Gods, named Phuc (Happiness) - Loc (Wealth) - Tho (Longevity) and a pair of African ivory tusks around 1.7m long.
Bach Dinh is now also the exhibit of remnants, such as some cannons from the Nguyen Dynasty’s Phuoc Thang Fortress and previous antiques collected from shipwrecks in the sea of Con Dao in the 17th century. They are thousands of beautiful Chinese ceramics made during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.
With its cultural and historical values, Bach Dinh was recognized as a national historic and cultural heritage site, becoming one of the most famous attractions in Vung Tau./.
Story: Thong Hai/VNP Photos: Le Minh & Thong Hai Translated by Hong Hanh