{"id":9629,"date":"2021-11-08T10:36:26","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T02:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9629"},"modified":"2022-04-18T15:38:01","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T07:38:01","slug":"bao-dai-last-emperor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/bao-dai-last-emperor\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam’s Last Emperor: The Unusual Childhood Of B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i"},"content":{"rendered":"

The childhood of B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i, Vietnam’s last emperor<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Telling the life of Puyi, the final Qing dynasty ruler growing up in constant political unrest, <\/span>The Last Emperor<\/span><\/em> is one of the greatest movies ever made about China’s history.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this feature, we’d like to bring you the story of a Vietnamese emperor whose life may remind many of you of Puyi’s. Growing up in the early 20th century when his country was torn between foreign forces and soaked with Western influence, this Vietnamese monarch was also the last ruler of a dynasty and stepped down from the throne amid national revolutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a story about<\/span> B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i <\/b>– the last ruler of the Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty.<\/span><\/p>\n

The information in this article is drawn from B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i\u2019s memoir Con R\u1ed3ng Vi\u1ec7t Nam (Dragon of Vi\u1ec7t Nam) published in 1980.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i\u2019s childhood in the Hu\u1ebf palace\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span>Th\u1eddi X\u01b0a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Born on 22nd October in 1913 in <\/span>Hu\u1ebf\u2019s Imperial City<\/span><\/a>, Nguy\u1ec5n Ph\u00fac V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y was the only son of Emperor Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh and Lady Ho\u00e0ng Th\u1ecb C\u00fac, a palace maid. His household nickname was <\/span>m\u1ec7 V\u1eefng<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nV\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y\u2019s coronation ceremony in the Forbidden City<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>\u1ea2nh X\u01b0a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

At age 9, he was made the crown prince of An Nam and given An \u0110\u1ecbnh Palace, a splendid French-style estate on the bank of An C\u1ef1u River and east of the Forbidden City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>\u1ea2nh X\u01b0a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

His appointment as the crown prince of the country had been approved by both the French colonial government and the protectorate governments. According to his memoir, he was also given the right to <\/span>wear orange<\/b>, a color reserved for a crown prince.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Growing up during the French colonial era, V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y enjoyed a French education alongside an old-school Vietnamese education and Confucian teachings.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a child, he loved nature and often wandered in his palace garden after taking a noon nap.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat garden is fenced by towering walls,\u201d he wrote in his memoir. \u201cIn spring, poinciana, pomegranate, cherry blossoms, and pear blossoms are in glorious bloom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When he was not studying, he would fish at a lotus pond in his garden.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Sometimes, his father would visit him to ask about his study progress or watch him revise his homework. Even though he was the crown prince, V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y could only dine at the same table with his father once or twice a month.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite living a high life in a grandiose palace, the young prince was deprived of sports, which was an alien concept in the conservative and rule-bound imperial city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He once attributed his frail health as a child to a lack of physical activity, saying, \u201cWhen I was 9 years old, I weighed 20KG.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nEmperor Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh, Empress Dowager Ti\u00ean Cung, and crown prince Nguy\u1ec5n Ph\u00fac V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Hu\u1ebf Tourism Portal<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In 1922, he embarked on his first trip to France to tour an exhibition with his father and his cousin. As the giant walls of the imperial city faded behind him, the little prince burst with excitement because this was his first trip outside his kingdom and also his first time riding a train.<\/span><\/p>\n

From his seat, he beheld with fascination the pristine and tender beauty of rural Vietnam. His pensive eyes followed a leafy tree branching into a river, the wandering gaze of buffalos standing knee-deep in lush rice fields, and the broad white wings of storks soaring over vast beds of reeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nDanang in the 20th century<\/em>
\nImage credit: Danang Fantastic City<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

His train sped through the emerald, fearsome mountain passes of Tr\u01b0\u1eddng S\u01a1n and into pitch-dark, windy tunnels snaking under the grounds before arriving at Danang, also known as Tourane back in the day. From this bustling coastal town, the royal family boarded a 7,000-ton ship named Claude Chappe heading for Saigon. After a day of rest in the city, they boarded the Porthos where he shared a cabin with his cousin V\u0129nh C\u1ea9n.<\/span><\/p>\n

His journey had many stops before he finally arrived in France, allowing him to briefly explore some Asian countries such as Singapore and India. Without a map in his hand, he had no idea which countries he had been traversing but his sharp memory helped him take a mental note of what he saw.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the first time I saw the Malay people,\u201d he shared. \u201cWomen in India chew betel like those in Hu\u1ebf.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While traversing Italy, he witnessed with his own eyes the eruption of the Stromboli volcano mountain, an event he described as \u201ca great wonder because I\u2019d had no idea what a volcano was.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nB\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i and his father in France<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Gallica.bnf.fr\/Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Eager to explore the world after nearly a decade of an isolated life in his kingdom, V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y didn\u2019t struggle much after flying the nest to start a new life in the West.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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He had a joyful, middle-class family life in Paris<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nV\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y and his cousin, prince V\u0129nh C\u1ea9n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Gallica.bnf.fr\/Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In that same year, he went to school at Lyc\u00e9e Condorcet in Paris.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To groom the little prince for his future role, Emperor Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh sent a Vietnamese scholar to escort the prince to France to teach him Vietnamese etiquette and Confucian philosophies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jean Fran\u00e7ois Eug\u00e8ne Charles<\/span>, a former ambassador of An Nam, was also entrusted by Emperor Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh to take care of V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y. During his early years in France, V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y stayed at the Charles\u2019 household at 95 La Bourdonnais Street, together with his Vietnamese teacher and a Vietnamese servant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>ELLE\/T.Do Khac<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y\u2019s daily schedule, including his studies and recreational activities, was strictly monitored by Charles. To motivate the prince to study harder, Charles arranged for V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y to join regular group study sessions with some Vietnamese students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y\u2019s eyes, the Charles’ residence was a compact and cosy middle-class abode, but it was there that he found a family of his own. They took him to Champ de Mars Park on the weekends where he had his first merry-go-round rides and watched magic shows. They also took him around France for holiday and gave him his first Christmas present – a toy train.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years later, he returned to Hu\u1ebf to attend his father\u2019s fortieth birthday. His family, especially his father, were greatly pleased to hear him talk with excitement about his studies and new experiences in France.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the event, V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y returned to France to enter grade 8 at Hattemer, a private school in Paris.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On 6th November 1925, Emperor Kh\u1ea3i \u0110\u1ecbnh passed away and V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y was to return for his father\u2019s funeral.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When he arrived in Hu\u1ebf, commoners filled the streets to celebrate his monumental return.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He became an emperor and lived overseas<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span>Th\u1eddi X\u01b0a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Two months after his father\u2019s death, V\u0129nh Th\u1ee5y, aged 12, was appointed to be the next ruler of the Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty. During his extravagant and elaborate coronation ceremony, he took the era name <\/span>B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i<\/b>, meaning \u201cGuardian of Greatness\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the royal family\u2019s wish was for him to finish his studies, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i returned to France to continue his study the same year and re-immerse himself in Western culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span><\/em>Gallica.bnf.fr\/Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

He made friends with French kids of his age and was ecstatic when introduced to sports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI led my life like a little French boy,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At age 17, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i pursued a university education at Sciences Po, Paris where he studied politics. During this time, he lived in a private residence at 13 Lamballe Street.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Completely soaked up in a Western lifestyle, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i\u2019s life was enormously different from what local commoners would expect from a Nguy\u1ec5n Dynasty emperor. He wore Western suits while his hair was cut short and always combed stylishly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nB\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i, first from right<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>ELLE<\/span><\/a><\/em>
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\nAs a sports lover, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i was often photographed dressing in tennis attire featuring shorts and white shirts. He was also the first Vietnamese monarch to take a driving test in France and got a driving license at his first try.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

During his free time, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i took piano lessons, attended musical concerts, and read French classics extensively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Determined to spend his college years like a normal French student, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i led a low-key lifestyle and made friends with people from different social classes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI behaved like a commoner, so my friends also treated me like their equal,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: Th\u1eddi X\u01b0a<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

At age 19, B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i was deemed fit by the French government and the protectorate government to become a ruler of a nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

After spending 8 years in France, the young emperor finally packed his belongings and returned to his homeland.<\/span><\/p>\n

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B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i, a Vietnam-born emperor raised in France<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Without an understanding of our history, it\u2019s hard for us to appreciate our present and chart our future. Monarchs and royals may have already become something of the past, but details and insights about their lives and characters will never fail to intrigue local history buffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hopefully, this summary of the childhood of Vietnam\u2019s last emperor based on his own memoir will give you more insight into his life and personality before he <\/span>returned to his homeland as a ruler.<\/p>\n

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