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Palace Restoration of Bac Ha

Located very close to Bac Ha market, Lao Cai province, the palace is once again open to the public after a two year restoration. As you can see in the photo above “finished” and open to the public overlap a little - but since the photo was taken, all is well and it’s looking like its former glory once again.

For anyone coming to Bac Ha for the market, this is a must see as the palace remains un-modified after the original occupants. It is also a chance to engage with locals who still like to tell stories about buried riches within the palace grounds. Stories helped by the fact that details about the gold and silver kept in the palace end in the 1950s. If you come in June there is a 3 day horse racing event that all the locals come to see. It sells out 6 months in advance however so if you want to come, please book early!

Palace history

Construction on the 10,000 sq/m Eurasian styled mansion started in 1914 and was completed by 1921. The mansion was not just the family home of the Hoang but also a place of local administration - complete with court room and prison cells. It was lived in by the Hoang family until 1950, later becoming a national monument in 1999.

Hoang family

The records begin with A Tuong who was a livestock trader buying piglets in the west to bring to Bac Ha for sale. His son Yen Tchao (1883-1959) strategically married the sister of a local dynastic leader - Già Ly Trang. With new found connections to the wealthy elites, the family pivoted to the opium trade which was very lucrative at the time. This money afforded the chance to build the beautiful mansion house we see today. According to Vietnamese records none of the descendants of Yen Tchao lived past childhood, so abruptly ending the family dynasty.