{"id":9473,"date":"2021-10-12T18:44:27","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T10:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9473"},"modified":"2021-10-18T11:56:18","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T03:56:18","slug":"huynh-thuy-le-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/huynh-thuy-le-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea Ancient House: Tracing The Footprints Of The Movie “The Lover”"},"content":{"rendered":"

House of Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea – the real-life Chinaman of L\u2019Amant (1992)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n

If you\u2019re a movie buff with a keen interest in French period films of the 20th century, you must have heard of <\/span>L\u2019Aman<\/span><\/em>t<\/span><\/i> (1992)<\/span><\/a> – a sensational book-to-movie adaptation based on an actual story set in then-Cochinchina, or southern Vietnam by Marguerite Duras.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the movie, the lead character\u2019s lover, referred to as the Chinaman, is the son of a business tycoon in Mekong Delta and extremely wealthy. As it turns out, the Chinaman is inspired by a real figure, who went by the name of Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea (1906-1990)<\/strong>. He was a Vietnamese man of Chinese descent living in Sa \u0110\u00e9c, \u0110\u1ed3ng Th\u00e1p Province in the 20th century.<\/span><\/p>\n

To give you a hint of how rich he was in real life, we\u2019d like to bring you to Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea Ancient House<\/strong>, the 126-year-old home of the original <\/span>lover<\/span><\/em>. Boasting splendid architecture indelibly linked with the Indochinese era, the house is today a famous tourist attraction in the Mekong Delta region.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The house sits on the side of the breezy and bustling Sa \u0110\u00e9c River<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage adapted from: <\/span><\/em>Truy\u1ec1n H\u00ecnh \u0110\u1ed3ng Th\u00e1p<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The former house of the late businessman Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea, fittingly named Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea Ancient House, is in Sa \u0110\u00e9c, \u0110\u1ed3ng Th\u00e1p, a province in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. Sa \u0110\u00e9c is also known as the kingdom of flowers in the Mekong Delta region, due to its strong and concentrated flower production.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Located on Nguy\u1ec5n Hu\u1ec7 Street, alongside the serene Sa \u0110\u00e9c river and a few minutes\u2019 walk from Sa \u0110\u00e9c Food Market, the house enjoys a highly enviable location.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: <\/span>Justin Chiu<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea\u2019s father Hu\u1ef3nh C\u1ea9m Thu\u1eadn, a merchant immigrant from Fujian, China, built the house in 1895. As Marguerite Duras wrote in her book, Hu\u1ef3nh C\u1ea9m Thu\u1eadn was famous for his wealth and generosity. He made a substantial fortune by building houses in Saigon-Cho Lon and Sa \u0110\u00e9c and leasing them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from real estate development, the Hu\u1ef3nhs also earned money from manufacturing and exporting rice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A fusion of French, Vietnamese, and Chinese architectural elements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: <\/span>Anh Nguy\u1ec5n<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

When you alight at the gate, you\u2019ll first catch sight of a large yard filled with plants and flower pots. As you walk through the yard, you\u2019ll chance upon a single-level house that measures 258 square meters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally, this house was built in a fashion typical of traditional southern Vietnamese architecture, with the emphasis on tile roofs with sloping ridges, wood as the main materials, and an open layout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: <\/span>Th\u00e1i An<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In 1917, the master of the house gave the property an overhaul, blanketing the woods with solid bricks on the outside. The front was also adorned in 17th-century Renaissance style, featuring the lavish use of arches, columns, decorative window frames, and bas-reliefs. <\/span>The materials used to make these were all imported from France.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stylish amendments to the exteriors gave it a French look from the outside, even when its interior still featured vernacular elements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: Anh Nguy\u1ec5n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

However, as you step inside, you\u2019ll find yourself in a space steeped in traditional Chinese elements, except its ceramic tiles imported from France. The walls are wainscoted with oak and its ornate wooden doors carved with geometrical patterns and floral symbols.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The main hall, also the ancestral hall and the living room, is decked out in royal yellow, auspicious red, and majestic black colors in classic Chinese style. It houses an altar to Guan Gong, a deity that many Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist merchants worship, flanked by columns elaborately adorned with gilded bas-reliefs phoenixes, flowers, and other auspicious symbols.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: Anh Nguy\u1ec5n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Overhanging the archway in the main hall is a tablet with four Chinese characters that read \u201cTrung T\u00e2y C\u1ed9ng H\u01b0\u1edfng\u201d, which can be roughly translated as, \u201cthe civilizations of both China and the West culminate here\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The ground was built slightly sunken as according to <\/span>feng shui<\/span><\/em>, with a belief that money, just like water, tends to flow to the lowest point.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: <\/span>Anh Nguy\u1ec5n<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Inside the house are two reconstructed period bedrooms, which can be leased as accommodation to visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hu\u1ef3nh
\nImage credit: Th\u00e1m Hi\u1ec3m Mekong<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Visitors will also find numerous authentic furniture items of the Hu\u1ef3nh family such as wooden cabinets, traditional wooden beds, an old-fashioned clock, and an antique record player on display.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Truy\u1ec1n H\u00ecnh \u0110\u1ed3ng Th\u00e1p<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Not only will visitors find photos featuring Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea and his family members in the house, but you\u2019ll also see portraits of Duras.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Truy\u1ec1n H\u00ecnh \u0110\u1ed3ng Th\u00e1p<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As if to remind visitors of the historical and cultural significance of this house, the management also exhibited photos of the actors and actresses who played the characters of Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea and Duras in the movie <\/span>L\u2019Amant<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nImage credit: <\/span>T\u00fa \u0110o\u00e0n<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Overall, the house represents a harmonious blend between the architectural elements of France, Vietnam, and China. After over a century, the house still keeps much of its original, stately grace in even the minutest details.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2009, Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea Ancient House was recognized as a national heritage site. Every year, the attraction welcomes thousands of tourists from both in and outside the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What happened to Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea after he broke up with Marguerite Duras?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"L'Amant\"
\nHu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Mai V\u00e0ng<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to not think about <\/span>L\u2019Amant<\/span><\/em> or Marguerite Duras as you visit the home of Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea. Therefore, we\u2019ll keep you in the know about what happened to the lover after his separation from the girl who later became a world-renowned writer.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you already know from the movie, Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea and Marguerite Duras didn\u2019t end up getting married on account of racial and class barriers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly after their breakup, Hu\u1ef3nh C\u1ea9m Thu\u1eadn arranged for his son to marry a wealthy, virtuous Vietnamese girl of Chinese descent from Ti\u1ec1n Giang. Her name was Nguy\u1ec5n Th\u1ecb M\u1ef9, and she was 10 years his junior.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a popular rumor, Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea\u2019s wedding procession crossed the Mekong River by a ferry that connected V\u0129nh Long and Sa \u0110\u00e9c. This ferry was the one where Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea first met Duras. And interestingly, the new bride stepped out of her car and stood at the very spot where Duras once stood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"L'Amant\"
\nHu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea and wife<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Tu\u1ed5i Tr\u1ebb<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Duras was on her ship en route to Paris.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The tenacious love affair between Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea and Duras fell into oblivion as he began to enjoy a very happy marriage with his wife.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, they had five children, who all lived in the US and France after 1975.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea also underwent a remarkable transformation of character after his marriage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From a playboy who lavished his money on recreation, as he had told Duras during their courtship, he became more engaged in his family\u2019s business activities. In the final years of his life, he contributed liberally to charity causes and commissioned the construction of pagodas.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A historical heritage and a witness to a timeless love story<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Nothing excites a movie buff or a history buff like a visit to a centuries-old place that has been featured in a period film, knowing that it has the footprints of famous real-life figures such as Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea or Duras herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only the well-preserved home of Hu\u1ef3nh Th\u1ee7y L\u00ea offers us a glimpse into the lifestyles of a bygone era, but it is also a witness to a unique love story between a local merchant and a French girl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Admission fee<\/b>:<\/b><\/span> VND30,000 (~USD1.32)
\n<\/span>Address:<\/b><\/span> 255A Nguy\u1ec5n Hu\u1ec7, Ward 4, Sa \u0110\u00e9c, \u0110\u1ed3ng Th\u00e1p
\n<\/span>Opening hours:<\/b><\/span> 7AM-5PM, Daily
\n<\/span>Telephone:<\/b> <\/span>0277 377 3937<\/span><\/p>\n

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