{"id":11420,"date":"2022-05-23T14:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T06:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=11420"},"modified":"2022-05-23T17:51:05","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T09:51:05","slug":"tran-le-xuans-palace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/tran-le-xuans-palace\/","title":{"rendered":"Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Palace: \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t Private Resort Turned Home Of The Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty’s Woodblocks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s private residence – getaway resort-turned-national archive<\/h2>\n
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Apart from spectacular landscapes and pleasantly cool weather, \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t intrigues many historical buffs thanks to its many buildings built during the colonial age and under the regime of former South Vietnam.<\/p>\n

Among them, Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Palace<\/strong> seems like a lesser-known spot. But when visiting it, you will discover many interesting things from one of the most beautiful buildings of the 1960s to the national archives where you can find\u00a0 world heritage woodblocks.<\/p>\n

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This was a resort of the former presidential family<\/h3>\n
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\"Tran
\nThe aerial view of the Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Private Residence<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/em>VnExpress<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Villa is a group of 3 villas on a small hill in \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t. It was built in 1958 as a resort for the then-South Vietnamese top leaders, including Ng\u00f4 \u0110\u00ecnh Nhu, the political counsellor, and Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n, Nhu’s wife. You can still find a lot of artifacts reflecting their way of life in these buildings.<\/p>\n

\"Hong
\nH\u1ed3ng Ng\u1ecdc, the private villa of Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s family<\/em>
\nImage credit: Diane Selwyn\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The first villa is B\u1ea1ch Ng\u1ecdc, meaning “Nephrite”, a relaxing place for Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s family and top-ranked officers of the then-South Vietnamese government. The second villa, H\u1ed3ng Ng\u1ecdc, or “Ruby”, is the private villa of Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s family.<\/p>\n

The last one, Lam Ng\u1ecdc, literally “Turquoise”, is the residence of Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s parents. These villas feature a neat and convenient design with straight plain walls and pillars and which was common in South Vietnam at that time.<\/p>\n

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Every villa has its own attractions<\/h3>\n
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\"Lam
\nThe design of Lam Ng\u1ecdc villa was also influenced by the French architecture<\/em>
\nImage credit: Diane Selwyn\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Apart from the impressive design and modern interior, every building has its own specialities that you may find interesting.<\/p>\n

In fact, the space behind Lam Ng\u1ecdc is filled with trees and small plants inspired by a Japanese garden, plus a lotus pond located between the three villas. When combined with the cool and pure air of a mountainous city such as \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t, this palace will give a calming and refreshing vibe. Inside Lam Ng\u1ecdc, you may also find an underground bunker and a tunnel in case of emergency.<\/p>\n

\"Tran
\nThe Japanese-styled garden in Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Residence<\/em>
\nImage credit: Ph\u1ea1m Qu\u1ed1c Anh Minh<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Behind this house is a beautiful lake bordered by white rocks and stones. When it is full of water, you can see a Vietnam map appear on the lake floor. As it was built during the Vietnam War, there is also a line of stones signifying the 17th parallel separating the then-North and South Vietnam.<\/p>\n

\"Bach
\nB\u1ea1ch Ng\u1ecdc Villa with the thermal pool emptied for visitors to take pictures<\/em>
\nImage credit: VnExpress<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

For B\u1ea1ch Ng\u1ecdc, one of the most special features is the thermal swimming pool in front of it. Back in the 1960s, this was the only thermal pool in South Vietnam.<\/p>\n

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It houses the precious Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty woodblocks<\/h3>\n
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\"Tran
\nTr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s family playing in the garden of this residence in July 1962
\nImage credit: LIFE via manhhai<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

At Tr\u1ea7n L\u00ea Xu\u00e2’s private residence today, you will find lots of images and artifacts related to \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t’s history since its discovery by Alexandre Yersin<\/a> in 1893. Most interestingly, you will find at this place the precious woodblock of the Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty, a world-level heritage.<\/p>\n

After the coup d’\u00e9tat in 1963 leading to the assassination of Ng\u00f4 \u0110\u00ecnh Di\u1ec7m and Ng\u00f4 \u0110\u00ecnh Nhu, the three villas were modified into a tourist site. Then it became a museum of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands from 1969 to 1975. After an overall renovation in 2008, it became the National Archives IV, which stores and exhibits many special documents and artifacts of the country.<\/p>\n

\"Hoang
\nThe woodblock and the print of the front page of Ho\u00e0ng Vi\u1ec7t Lu\u1eadt L\u1ec7, the national law under the Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty<\/em>
\nImage credit: Kee Bu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The most intriguing document here should be more than 34,000 printing woodblocks made under the Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty. They are wooden plates with carvings of various documents in Chinese and N\u00f4m, a form of ancient Vietnamese script.<\/p>\n

In the past, people would apply ink on the woodblock, and then press it against a sheet of paper to print a document. With high historical and artistic significance, the woodblocks were recognized as a World Dcumentary Heritage item in the Memory of the World Program of UNESCO in 2019.<\/p>\n

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Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Private Residence<\/h3>\n
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Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Residence comprises three villas which used to be the most spectacular private buildings in former South Vietnam.<\/p>\n

With beautiful modern design and many special features, the buildings will help you understand more about the life of the presidential family in the 1960s. Moreover, it currently houses thousands of woodblocks from the Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty.<\/p>\n

Tr\u1ea7n L\u1ec7 Xu\u00e2n’s Private Residence \/ National Archives IV<\/strong>
\nAddress: : <\/span><\/strong>2 Y\u1ebft Ki\u00eau Street, Ward 5, \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t City, L\u00e2m \u0110\u1ed3ng Province
\nOpening hours: <\/span><\/strong>7.30AM-11AM, 1.30PM-4.30PM, Daily
\nTicket prices: <\/span>VND40,000 (~USD1.73)<\/strong>, free for those above 60 years old and children below 1.2 meters high.
\nNational Archives IV’s website<\/a> and Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n

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