Basic HTML Version
THE DUDE’S HOUSE
I
am one of the first visitors at the
famous house of Bac Lieu Dude fol-
lowing a period of closure for resto-
ration. Now known as the Bac Lieu
Dude Hotel, it has an impressive new
blue frontage, but the overall design has
been kept intact.
The property is a century old and
contains much history. Its visitors can
learn about the affluent life of the for-
mer owners. In its day it was the most
magnificent house in the Delta with
its two floors, four halls and five bed-
rooms. It was built and designed by a
French architect and all the materials
were imported from France.
For many years, the nickname, Bac
Lieu Dude, was given to children of the
rich landlords who lived a well-off life-
style in Southern Vietnam in the feudal
colonialist time. One of these ‘Dudes’
was Tran Trinh Huy.
During the time of French colonial-
ism, the southern land was re-allocated
to local owners, resulting in the for-
mation of a new class of great land-
lords. Those rich families often sent their
children to Saigon to study at French
schools or overseas to France. However,
most of those rich boys and girls were
badly influenced in the big city, and with
money from their parents they tried to
show off their wealth and lived a loose
lifestyle. Among them, Tran Trinh Huy
topped the list of Bac Lieu braggarts be-
cause of his constant financial flaunting
as well as his decadent playboy lifestyle.
Huy’s father was landlord Tran Trinh
Trach who had 74 farms with 110,000
24
timeout
The House of Bac Lieu Dude is an attractive stop for tourists in the southern
province of Bac Lieu. Words by
Nguyen Duc
. Photos by
Le Hoang Vu
TRAVEL