The nearly 100-year-old villa of a once-famous tycoon in the old town.
This stunning old villa, spanning over 800 square meters and nearly 100 years old, belonging to a wealthy businessman from Hang Be Street in the early 20th century, still retains its original architectural style.
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| According to Ms. Truong Thi Mo (born in 1924, Hang Be Ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi), the villa, which is over 800 square meters, was built by her parents – who were well-known contractors in many fields – starting in 1925, when she was only one year old. |
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| The villa features architectural characteristics from the French colonial era, but many details have been designed to suit Vietnamese culture. |
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| The villa consists of two main and auxiliary buildings that occupy most of the land area. |
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| The rest consists of gardens, walkways, etc. |
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| The villa is built with two floors and many functional spaces such as: parking area, kitchen, storage rooms and staff quarters, living room, family room, dining room, playground... |
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Ms. Truong Thi Mo, the daughter of the villa's owner, shared that, after many historical changes, besides her family, the villa is now also occupied by people from other places. Ms. Mo's family only manages and uses an area of over 200 square meters. |
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The villa's interior, including the floors, columns, and furnishings, is made of ironwood. The area managed by Mrs. Mo's family remains almost entirely intact. |
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The central area features a large atrium to ensure that all rooms in the villa receive natural light. |
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| The second floor includes bedrooms, a prayer room, and a balcony. Ms. Truong Thi Mo said that the study and library are located on the first floor. This villa is characterized by being warm in winter and cool in summer. |
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| The staircase leads up to the second floor of the house. |
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| The staircase is made of wood, and although it is nearly 100 years old, it is still in good condition and has not been damaged by termites. There are two such staircases in the villa, leading to the two main buildings. |
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The furniture in Mrs. Mo's mother's bedroom remains exactly as it was when she was alive. According to Mrs. Mo, this bedroom connects to the adjacent rooms through a system of connecting doors. Although she lived nearly a century ago, Mrs. Mo's mother had a very modern lifestyle. The bedroom furniture, from the dressing table and wardrobe to the bed, is all designed in the French style. |
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| In addition, the room is furnished with a coffee table and chairs, a wooden shelf for flower vases, and a chest of drawers. Ms. Mo said that they are all as old as the villa itself. |
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| Inside this bedroom, there was an additional copper bed that Mrs. Mo's father had ordered from Hong Kong (China). This bed had a beautiful velvet canopy. Mrs. Mo's mother cherished this bed during her lifetime. |
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| Mrs. Mo's family's ancestral worship room still has all the traditional horizontal plaques and couplets... |
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Mrs. Mo's daughter showed us the family's ancestral worship room. These altars, made of ironwood, date back to the time when Mrs. Mo's parents first built the villa. |
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| The railings are constructed of wrought iron with decorative patterns combined with posts made of ironwood. |
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This bedroom has an additional small hallway overlooking the villa's outbuildings. These outbuildings also housed a garage, kitchen, storage, staff quarters, and restrooms for the servants. Mrs. Mo further shared that back then, her family had a skilled chef capable of cooking both European and Asian dishes, a driver, three nannies, and three young boys to run errands. Her parents treated the servants very kindly, considering them like family. |
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| Like many villas of the time, Mrs. Mo's family villa was painted yellow, and the doors were painted blue. |
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| The beautiful patterns add vibrancy to the villa's interior. |
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In particular, on the first floor of the house, the owner has placed four pillars made of solid stone, intricately carved with exquisite patterns. This is a blend of Western and Vietnamese architectural styles. |
