Bao Dai Summer Palace
Destination
Dalat is a city of love, not only for charming landscape, comfortable weather but also the number of French architectures. typically the antique villas.
Bao Dai’s Summer Palace was built from 1933 to 1937 under the dynasty of King Bao Dai (1913-1997), the last king of Vietnam, just only 2km from Xuan Huong Lake. This palace is called " Palace 3", and lies in the middle of a pine forest in Dalat. Bao Dai Summer Palace was said to be Bao Dai’s favourite among his many holiday retreats because of the good hunting on the grounds. And it was constructed as a retreating place King Bao Dai and his royal family to escape the summer heat. But after 1950, when the French colonialists came back to Vietnam, the palace became the office and house of the king.
Bao Dai was the 13th and last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, the final dynasty of Vietnam ruling 143 years. He succeeded as emperor in 1926, and abdicated in 1945 when he was ousted by the French. He self-exiled to France in 1956, where, having spent most of his fortune, he lived a modest existence. He died in 1997 at the age of 85.