A real-life love story hidden in century-old Vietnamese house
The house is living witness to a sad yet intense romance between a French girl and a Chinese Vietnamese man that became a best-selling novel.
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| This 130-year-old house is one of the top destinations in Sa Dec Town, Dong Thap Province. The building reflects a part of 20th century Vietnamese history when the country was a French colony, and also features in “L’Amant” (The Lover), a movie that was adapted from the novel of the same name by French writer Marguerite Duras that tells the love story of Duras and a Chinese Vietnamese man from Sa Dec. |
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| The house was once owned by Huynh Thuy Le, the wealthy lover of Duras. Her autobiographical novel was first published in 1984 and has been translated into 43 languages, and was adapted to a movie in 1992. |
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| Built in 1895 by Le’s father, the house was renovated in 1917 with a slight Western style. On the walls are portrait photos of Marguerite Duras, Huynh Thuy Le and the Vietnamese woman he married after breaking up with Duras because her mother wanted her to return to France while his father had already arranged a marriage for him with a young girl from a wealthy Chinese Vietnamese family. |
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| A tour guide presents the history of the house and the love story between Le and Duras. On the wall are more photos of Duras' childhood in Vietnam and after she left the country for Paris. |
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| A close look at the decor of the house that witnessed the real love story of "L’Amant", that has been described as intense but sad. |
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| This house is now open to the public every day. |
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| You can also stay at the house for US$22 per night. Jean Mascolo, Duras' only son with a Frenchman, once stayed in this room to learn about his mother's youth. |
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| The house is located by the Tien River at 255A Nguyen Hue Street. It receives tens of thousands of foreign visitors each year, especially French tourists. |