{"id":9360,"date":"2021-09-30T18:00:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T10:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9360"},"modified":"2021-09-30T18:11:43","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T10:11:43","slug":"ghost-of-hua-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/ghost-of-hua-family\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ghost Of The H\u1ee9a Family: What Really Happened & Where Uncle H\u1ecfa’s Daughter Died"},"content":{"rendered":"

Debunking the myths surrounding the ghost of the H\u1ee9a family<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A visit to the <\/span>Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum<\/span><\/a> is on every tourist\u2019s bucket list when visiting Saigon. And nobody leaves this iconic attraction without learning a tale or two about its former owner – <\/span>Uncle H\u1ecfa, one of Indochina\u2019s richest men in the late 19th century<\/span><\/a>. Do read his story in the link if you haven\u2019t before continuing with this article about its alleged haunting.<\/span><\/p>\n

What you will never read from official documents regarding the museum is that it is reportedly haunted by the ghost of its former owner\u2019s daughter – H\u1ee9a Ti\u1ec3u Lan. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>For nearly a century, local history remembers this girl as a leprosy patient who died in a room inside that opulent estate with 99 doors, but the real story may be far more complex.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll remind you of this age-old urban legend that created a buzz in Saigon in the early 20th century, and why we think there\u2019s more to it than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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H\u1ee9a Ti\u1ec3u Lan – the daughter of a billionaire, with a tragic fate<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nThe wealthy Hui brothers – Hu\u1ef3nh Tr\u1ecdng Hu\u1ea5n (Tang Huon Hui Bon Hoa), Hu\u1ef3nh Tr\u1ecdng T\u1ea5n (Tang Chanh Hui Bon Hoa), and Hu\u1ef3nh Tr\u1ecdng B\u00ecnh (Tang Phien Hui Bon Hoa).<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>L\u00ea V\u0129nh Huy<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

According to the popular legend, which has never been verified, H\u1ee9a Ti\u1ec3u Lan was the youngest daughter of Hui Bon Hoa – H\u1ee9a B\u1ed5n H\u00f2a, a real estate tycoon in Saigon in the late 19th and early 20th century.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lan was reportedly a very pretty girl, but suddenly disappeared from the social scene by the time she turned 16.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It turned out that she contracted leprosy, which had no cure at the time. Leprosy was seen as a highly contagious disease back in the day, and thus Uncle H\u1ecfa kept his daughter locked in a room in the family\u2019s mansion.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe mansion of the H\u1ee9a family in Saigon<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span><\/em>@thlinh96<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/a>Nobody was allowed to interact with Lan, except the maids who brought her meals daily. <\/span>They had to leave right after placing her food on her table and were not to look at her face, which had already been disfigured from her loss of her eyebrows and eyelashes, and was awash with swelling ulcers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, Lan died a quiet, lonely death in her bedroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Missing his daughter dearly, Uncle H\u1ecfa had her put inside a stone coffin, which was placed inside that room. Uncle H\u1ecfa never intended to have the coffin buried, but he had to organize a funeral to make everything look normal.<\/span><\/p>\n

The insidious funeral was orchestrated in the family\u2019s mansion in Long H\u1ea3i, V\u0169ng T\u00e0u, and immediately caught the attention of local tomb raiders.\u00a0<\/span>Uncle H\u1ecfa was famous for his wealth, and the locals thought that he must have put a lot of valuable artefacts inside the coffin, which was also a traditional funerary tradition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With this in mind, local tomb raiders raided Lan\u2019s tomb in the dead of the night in hope of finding a fortune in her coffin.<\/span><\/p>\n

The moment they cracked open her coffin, they were stunned to realize that there was nothing inside it. All that was laid bare in front of them was an empty casket, a secret that puzzles local ghost hunters even until today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where was Uncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s daughter?<\/span><\/p>\n

Before we return to this question, let\u2019s time-travel back to the H\u1ee9a family\u2019s mansion in Saigon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Her spirit returned to the mansion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: @_vietlinhdangyeu_<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As the tomb raiders dug up Lan\u2019s grave in V\u0169ng T\u00e0u, her body actually remained in her bedroom in Saigon where she took her last breath, and was placed in a coffin there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Uncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s orders, the maids were to continue bringing food to the deceased lady\u2019s room daily as if she were still alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

That spooky routine went smoothly until Lan\u2019s first death anniversary.<\/span><\/p>\n

On that day, a maid was told to put a white dress, a doll, and a bowl of chicken near the coffin.<\/span><\/p>\n

A while later, she entered the room and screamed at the top of her lungs.<\/span><\/p>\n

She ran out and shouted, \u201cThe lady is back!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When other people ran into the room, they witnessed a sight that was frightening beyond measure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing on the coffin lid was the doll that Uncle H\u1ecfa had bought for his daughter for her death anniversary, and the bowl of chicken rice that was half-eaten.<\/span><\/p>\n

After that sinister event, Uncle H\u1ecfa had the coffin buried immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, rumors about Lan\u2019s spirit returning to the splendid mansion spread rapidly. Some passers-by claimed that they saw a shadowy figure standing by the windows or gliding through the corridors. Some even heard the sounds of a girl screaming or weeping.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThis urban legend was adapted into a movie in 1973 and became a sensation<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Nh\u1ea1c X\u01b0a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The story grew in popularity for many years even after Uncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s death and the H\u1ee9a family\u2019s permanent departure from Vietnam. It got to such a point that a local movie producer adapted the urban legend into a movie called <\/span>The Ghost of the H\u1ee9a Family<\/span><\/em> in 1973, which turned out to be a blockbuster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, you might already find this urban legend riveting enough and settle for the fact that the mansion, now the museum, probably houses the ghost of H\u1ee9a Ti\u1ec3u Lan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wait for it! Our local ghost hunters might beg to differ.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Where did Uncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s daughter really die?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nUncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s mansion in Long H\u1ea3i, V\u0169ng T\u00e0u has remained abandoned for many years<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Vietnamnet<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The urban legend about Uncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s daughter never fails to fascinate local paranormal investigators, who have made trips to both the family\u2019s mansions in Saigon and V\u0169ng T\u00e0u to find out.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have been to the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, you will find that the estate is too spacious for a comprehensive exploration within just a couple of hours. Besides, many rooms are off limits and there\u2019s no way you can find the exact location of the room where Lan died.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The only way to find out – according to paranormal investigators – is to invoke her spirit, which is unlawful in such a public venue and impossible because the museum is filled with security guards and visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bearing this in mind, most modern-day ghost hunters travel to the V\u0169ng T\u00e0u mansion to <\/span>conduct a seance<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrary to the well-preserved one in Saigon, the holiday home of one of Saigon\u2019s wealthiest families in V\u0169ng T\u00e0u is now an abandoned and ramshackle estate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nobody can find a logical explanation to why it has not been repurposed, given that it still retains its stately structure and is located in a very touristy location.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, this is the place where, nearly a century ago, tomb raiders came to dig up Lan\u2019s grave.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, supernatural enthusiasts are still coming over, not for artefacts, but for the truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among them were the professional ghost hunters and Youtubers of a Vietnamese group called <\/span>Ghosthub TV<\/b>, who conducted a seance here with an ouija board.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nInside the anbandoned mansion<\/em>
\nImage credit:<\/span> Ghosthub TV<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Before venturing into the haunted estate, the group was heard talking about their adventure with a street vendor. She warned them that some ghost hunters had come into the estate and were chased out by a supernatural force.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the group entered the mansion and walked around, only to find out that most of the rooms were empty. All they saw were burned-out candles and incense sticks that must have been left behind by previous ghost hunters.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this experiment, the group recorded themselves laying out the ouija board and lighting candles on the floor of a dark, empty room on the second floor of the mansion. They also set up cameras around the corners of the room in order to capture images and movements that may have escaped their notice. The two participants put their fingers on a coin and started their seance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit:<\/span> Ghosthub TV<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After praying out loud, a spirit allegedly made its presence known and the group started asking questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you the daughter of the owner of this mansion?\u201d a participant asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

The coin moved to the \u201cYes\u201d corner of the ouija board, meaning that the spirit was the highly sought daughter of Uncle H\u1ecfa – H\u1ee9a Ti\u1ec3u Lan.<\/span><\/p>\n

The participant continued to ask, this time with a trembling voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich room in this mansion did you die in?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost immediately, the coin moved around the letters and formed the word \u201cBasement\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alarmed by this response, the participants looked at one another and said, \u201cBasement? There\u2019s a basement in this mansion?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go down there and search for the basement!\u201d a participant added.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Intrigued by the response of the spirit, which matched the urban legend, a participant came up with a request that turned the whole thing around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan we see you?\u201d he asked in an excited yet quivering voice while the rest held their breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflexively, the coin moved and formed a short text that terrified them to no end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet lost!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To find out what happened after that, we recommend you to watch the clip for yourself and come up with your own opinions. On a side note, many netizens pointed out in the comments section that they saw a dark figure standing in the corridor looking in at the boys at <\/span>25:57<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We only share this account to propose a theory, which has been tested by several ghost hunters, that Uncle H\u1ecfa\u2019s daughter might have lived and died in the mansion in V\u0169ng T\u00e0u.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For your record, Ghosthub TV is Vietnam\u2019s most famous ghost hunting group, which consists of members who are all equipped with basic ghostbusting skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t get carried away by an urban legend<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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As famous as this urban legend is, it’s never been verified or addressed by anyone from the prestigious H\u1ee9a family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s amazing to see younger generations still fascinated by this age-old story and embarking on journeys to discover the truth about Uncle H\u1ecfa’s daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

If this urban legend inspires you to learn more about Vietnam’s history and culture, that’s great. The only advice that we can offer is <\/span>not to get carried away and venture into the unknown for it. <\/span>Even if you actually do find the ghost of Uncle H\u1ecfa’s daughter, either in the family\u2019s mansions in Saigon or V\u0169ng T\u00e0u, what do you think you’ll do next?<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check out:<\/span><\/p>\n