Abandoned villa used to be the residence of the "real estate king" of old Saigon

The three-frontage land at the intersection of Ly Thai To, Hung Vuong and Tran Binh Trong, near Cong Hoa 6-way intersection, used to be the property of the family of Mr. Hua Bon Hoa, also known as Uncle Hoa, one of the famous tycoons of Saigon in the late 19th century. Mr. Hoa, a Vietnamese of Chinese descent, born in 1845, was known as the "king of real estate" of old Saigon.

On a land area of over 37,000m² in District 10, there are 8 villas built before 1975, which are the resting place of Mr. Hoa's family. These villas have individual architecture, typical of the architectural development period of Saigon before 1975.

According to records, one was damaged, leaving only seven. After 1975, these villas became government guest houses, managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , used to welcome high-ranking delegations visiting and working in Ho Chi Minh City.

The villas were built in French architecture, with a ground floor and two upper floors. In 2017, this land was officially abandoned, many buildings were seriously degraded.

According to Dan Tri reporter, the paths in the campus are covered with weeds and overgrown trees.

The security room in the campus was full of trash and messy tables and chairs.

The toilet block was damaged after a long period of disuse.

Many outbuildings are covered by trees.

A row of rooms in the guest house is rented out for restaurant and wedding business, also dirty, with trash and furniture scattered about.

Due to the lack of security guards, the main gate area is used by residents as a car park.

At many meetings, city residents and voters have proposed solutions to effectively exploit this land, such as building a commercial center, cultural works, public works, etc.

Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed to transfer the villa complex to the city for management. According to the plan, this land will become a complex in the future.