What's in the 150-year-old French Palace that only opens once a year?

    Minh Đức (Ảnh: Duy Lê) |

    Within the framework of the 2025 European Heritage Day event, the Ancient Palace of the French Consulate General was opened to visitors in Ho Chi Minh City on September 20.

    Khuat minh sau nhung hang cay xanh tren con pho Le Duan sam uat bac nhat Sai Gon, Dinh Tong lanh su Phap la mot cong trinh kien truc an tuong cua thanh pho voi tuoi doi 153 nam. Dinh thu Phap duoc xem nhu bieu tuong cua kien truc Dong Duong the ky 19. Song, cong trinh chi duoc mo cua han che vao mot so su kien dac biet trong nam nen thu hut rat dong nguoi dan thanh pho dang ky. Tren trang Facebook cua Lanh su quan Phap cho biet, chi 15 phut sau khi mo dang ky, toan bo ve mien phi vao Dinh thu Phap da duoc dat kin.
    Immersed behind the rows of trees on the busiest Le Duan street in Saigon, the French Consulate General is an impressive architectural work of the city with an age of 153 years. The French villa is considered a symbol of 19th-century Indochina architecture.
    The project is only open to certain special events during the year, so it attracts a lot of people in the city to register. On the Facebook page of the French Embassy, it was said that just 15 minutes after opening the registration, all free tickets to the French Palace were booked.
    Dinh thu cao 2 tang va chi mo cua tang mot cho khach tham quan. Ngoai ra, khu vuc ham cua Dinh thu cung khong mo cho du khach.
    The villa is 2 stories high and only opens the first floor for visitors. In addition, the tunnel area of the Palace is not open to visitors. Located in the middle of a cool green garden, the French Palace seems to separate from the bustling scene of the city, wearing a quiet, calm appearance. Walking under the ancient tree canopy in the palace grounds, visitors feel like they are going back in time to find the past.
    Cong trinh duoc xay dung vao nam 1872, cung thoi diem voi nhieu dia danh noi tieng khac tai TP.HCM nhu Dinh Norodom (nay la Dinh Doc Lap), Dai chung vien Thanh Giu-se (1863), Nha tho Duc Ba (1877-1880) hay Buu dien Thanh pho (1886-1891). Sau nam 1975, toa nha tro thanh tu dinh cua cac tong lanh su Phap.
    This year, on the occasion of European Heritage Day 2025, the French Palace continues to be open to tourists who register in advance. From 8:30 a.m. on September 20, many registered visitors lined up in front of the villa at 6 Le Duan. Each visitor will have about 1 hour to visit the villa. With QR codes in three languages (Vietnamese, English, French), visitors can easily learn about the nearly two-century history of the Palace.
    Toa nha lon duoc bao quanh boi hanh lang o ca 4 mat, voi nhung khung cua chop xanh la cay va buc tuong vang an tuong. Moi tang co 32 cua voi cau truc la sach co the dong mo, giup thoang khi va tranh anh nang truc tiep trong nhung ngay he oi buc. Nhan vien huong dan khach tham quan tai Dinh thu Phap cho biet cong trinh van con giu duoc nhieu net nguyen ven sau hang tram nam lich su.
    The large building is surrounded by corridors on all sides, with green blades and impressive yellow walls. The project was built in 1872, at the same time as many other famous landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City such as Norodom Palace (now the Liberate Palace), the University of Saint Giu-se (1863), Notre Dame Cathedral (1877-1880) or the City Post Office (1886-1891). After 1975, the building became the headquarters of French consulates general.
    Moi tang co 32 cua voi cau truc la sach co the dong mo, giup thoang khi va tranh anh nang truc tiep trong nhung ngay he oi buc. Nhan vien huong dan khach tham quan tai Dinh thu Phap cho biet cong trinh van con giu duoc nhieu net nguyen ven sau hang tram nam lich su.
    Each floor has 32 doors with a structure of leaves that can be closed and opened, helping to breathe air and avoid direct sunlight during hot summer days.
    Sau khi tham quan ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the danh thoi gian tan bo trong khu vuon sau. Dinh thu co khu vuon hon 1,5 ha voi nhieu cay co thu tuoi doi hang tram nam. Nhieu hoat dong gioi thieu ve van hoa Phap cung dien ra trong khuon kho Ngay di san chau Au nam nay.
    A tour guide at the French Palace said that the building still retains many intact features after hundreds of years of history.
    Buoc vao ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the chiem nguong nhieu tac pham nghe thuat den tu ca A Dong lan Tay phuong. Di quanh hang lang DInh thu Phap, khach tham quan se duoc chiem nguong nhieu hien vat nhu do gom su truyen thong, tuong co, tranh… Noi bat nhat trong Dinh thu Phap la phong khanh tiet, noi dien ra cac su kien lon quan trong cua tong lanh su. Phong khanh tiet trong Dinh thu Phap la noi luu tru buc tranh son mai cua hoa si noi tieng Nguyen Gia Tri mang ten “Dam ruoc”, duoc ve vao nam 1939. Buc tranh da khac hoa song dong ve dep cua doi song van hoa Viet Nam dau the ky 20.
    Walking around the corridor of the French Palace, visitors will admire many artifacts such as traditional ceramics, ancient statues, paintings...
    Buoc vao ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the chiem nguong nhieu tac pham nghe thuat den tu ca A Dong lan Tay phuong. Di quanh hang lang Dinh thu Phap, khach tham quan se duoc chiem nguong nhieu hien vat nhu do gom su truyen thong, tuong co, tranh…
    Entering the Palace, visitors can admire many works of art from both East Asia and the West.
    Sau khi tham quan ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the danh thoi gian tan bo trong khu vuon sau. Dinh thu co khu vuon hon 1,5 ha voi nhieu cay co thu tuoi doi hang tram nam. Nhieu hoat dong gioi thieu ve van hoa Phap cung dien ra trong khuon kho Ngay di san chau Au nam nay.
    A corner of the ancient stairs in the palace.
    Sau khi tham quan ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the danh thoi gian tan bo trong khu vuon sau. Dinh thu co khu vuon hon 1,5 ha voi nhieu cay co thu tuoi doi hang tram nam. Nhieu hoat dong gioi thieu ve van hoa Phap cung dien ra trong khuon kho Ngay di san chau Au nam nay.
    The most prominent part of the French Palace is the officialdom, which houses major and important events of the Consulate General. The inauguration room in the French Palace is where the lacquer painting by famous artist Nguyen Gia Tri is located, named "Dam xuong", painted in 1939. The painting vividly depicts the beauty of Vietnamese cultural life in the early 20th century.
    Sau khi tham quan ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the danh thoi gian tan bo trong khu vuon sau. Dinh thu co khu vuon hon 1,5 ha voi nhieu cay co thu tuoi doi hang tram nam. Nhieu hoat dong gioi thieu ve van hoa Phap cung dien ra trong khuon kho Ngay di san chau Au nam nay.
    The inauguration room in the French Palace is where the lacquer painting by famous artist Nguyen Gia Tri is stored (left). The work is called Dam Duong, painted in 1939. The painting vividly depicts the beauty of Vietnamese cultural life in the early 20th century.
    Sau khi tham quan ben trong Dinh thu, du khach co the danh thoi gian tan bo trong khu vuon sau. Dinh thu co khu vuon hon 1,5 ha voi nhieu cay co thu tuoi doi hang tram nam. Nhieu hoat dong gioi thieu ve van hoa Phap cung dien ra trong khuon kho Ngay di san chau Au nam nay.
    After visiting inside the Palace, visitors can spend time strolling in the back garden. The villa has a garden of more than 1.5 hectares with many ancient trees hundreds of years old. Many activities introducing French culture also took place within the framework of this year's European Heritage Day.
    Minh Đức (Ảnh: Duy Lê)
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