[tintuc]
Overview of
Bao Dai Summer Palace in Dalat
Otherwise
known as Palace Number 3 (Palace III), Bao Dai’s summer Palace was used as a
retreat by the family of King Bao Dai, the last king of Viet Nam. Built from
1933 to 1938, the cube – like art deco exterior angled away from the entrance
point, disuises the true size of the palace, which contains 25 rooms built
within the colonial architectural framework.
The engraved glass map of Vietnam was given to
Emperor Bao Dai in 1942 by Vietnamese students in France. In Bao Dai’s office,
the life-size white bust above the bookcase is of Bao Dai himself; the smaller
gold and brown busts are of his father, Emperor Khai Dinh. Note the heaven
brass royal seal (on the right) and military seal (on the left). The
photographs over the fire-place are of (from left to right) Bao Dai, his elder
son, Bao Long (in uniform), and Empress Nam Phuong, who dies in 1963.
Upstairs are the royal living quarters. The
room of Bao Long, who now lives in England, is decorated in yellow, the royal
color. The huge semicircular couch was used by the emperor and empress for
family meeting, during which their three daughters were seated in the pink
chairs and their two son on the yellow chairs.
