Old House No. 29, also known as Toa Bo, was built in 1882, with Western office architecture. Not only is it unique in terms of architectural art, it is also the place where a historical event took place, marking an important milestone in the revolutionary history of Bac Lieu.
On August 23, 1945, facing the revolutionary storm, Provincial Governor Truong Cong Thien surrendered unconditionally and handed over power to the people.
This event took place at the Palace of the Governor of Bac Lieu Province, now the Old House No. 29, Tran Phu Street, Ward 3, opposite the headquarters of the People's Council - People's Committee of Bac Lieu City. August 23 was determined by the Provincial Party Executive Committee as the Traditional Revolutionary Day of Bac Lieu Province.
Although recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as an architectural and artistic relic, over the years, the building has seriously degraded and is at risk of collapsing at any time.
In addition to the Old House No. 29, Bac Lieu also has a typical architectural relic bearing the mark of the historic August days. That is the Old House Carrie, also known as the Provisional Bac Lieu Provincial Party Committee Headquarters in 1945, located at the corner of 30/4 Street and Le Van Duyet Street (Ward 3, Bac Lieu City today).
The historical site of the Provisional Bac Lieu Provincial Party Committee Headquarters and the Viet Minh Front Committee had a more tragic fate. After 10 years of being recognized as a historical site by the Provincial People's Committee, in November 2023, the Bac Lieu City government demolished the entire structure, which is over 310 square meters wide, on the grounds that it was no longer possible to preserve it in its original state.
The vestiges of the early 20th century French architectural work are only tiled floors and a few red bricks, leaving regret for local people, tourists and those who love history and architecture.
Bac Lieu currently has 15 ancient houses (all located in Bac Lieu City) that have been ranked as provincial-level relics. In recent years, the investment, restoration and conservation of relics in Bac Lieu have been carried out by the local government and the cultural sector.
Besides the two restored ancient houses (Mr. Cao Trieu Truc's house, No. 59, Thong Nhat Street, Hamlet 2, Ward 5, restoration cost 2.5 billion VND) and the house of the Bac Lieu Prince (socialized), the remaining ancient architectural relics have been and are deteriorating, deformed, losing their inherent ancient beauty and some even no longer exist.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, Head of relic management, to preserve and promote the value of ancient houses that have been classified according to the provincial relic classification, the People's Committee at the district level needs to have a plan to restore and embellish degraded ancient houses. At the same time, review and propose valuable ancient houses in the area to establish relic records.
