White Palace
White Palace
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
69 reviews
Excellent
25
Very good
29
Average
12
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Shore Excursion... V
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam687 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
The White Palace is Vung Tau's nicest colonial era mansion. Great views and a breeze under shade & indoors
* Climbing halfway up a hill of lovely Champa Flower Garden at sunset time is always the best choice. I choose to reach there at 4:30PM and finished at 5:30PM to catch the early sunset lights.
* Climbing halfway up a hill of lovely Champa Flower Garden at sunset time is always the best choice. I choose to reach there at 4:30PM and finished at 5:30PM to catch the early sunset lights.
Written 6 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan L
Bunbury, Australia8,541 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Interesting survivor of the French Colonisation era dating to 1898 and constructed as the summer residence of the French Governor, Paul Doumer who actually never got to live there as he was recalled to France. The carpark is located approx. 100m at the bottom of the hill, no room for a bus to turn. Its quite a beautiful building, white coloured and with various statues decorating the structure. Furnishings and fittings are sympathetic to the era and compliment the design of the various rooms. Some ancient cannons are mounted in the grounds, attractive gardens and great views.
Written 26 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David D
Adelaide, Australia915 contributions
Nov 2019 • Solo
This is a little treasure and while it’s a bit run down it still provides an insight to life in Vung Tau in colonial times. Probably the most interesting are the various tile designs on the floor. As an added bonus the security guard offered to show me around including the old bomb shelter.
Written 25 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kellyansapansa
Adelaide, Australia406 contributions
Apr 2019
We were a group of 9 visiting the White Palace as part of a local Vung Tau and Ba Ria tour, during a port visit from a cruise ship. I would definitely recommend visiting with a tour guide who can provide some history and context, as relying on the intermittent signage would not have given us enough detail to appreciate the significance of this site. The displays are not overly well maintained and are a bit haphazard, but interesting nonetheless. An hour here is plenty of time.
Written 8 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VientianeKingkiki
Vientiane34 contributions
Dec 2018 • Solo
This building is really worth the price of admission. A colonial era building erected as a beachside residence for the emperor Bao Dai. Sited up un the slopes of the large hill at the end of the beach, it catches the sea breeze and offers expansive views. More interesting that even the old building are its interiors. The palace was used by the various presidents of South Vietnam from Diem to Thieu and its is furnished with the best examples of high quality domestic furniture of the 60's and 70's. After the fall of the Saigon regime it became a museum and has been left exactly as it was during its service the elites of the "puppet regime"> This place is a must for anyone with an interest in design and interiors of the period. It's on par with the summer palace in Dalat and for the same reasons.
Written 15 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith22jukjuk
Bangkok, Thailand177 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
This site includes no information at all in English about the history of this place, and my hunch is that almost none is given in Vietnamese, either, given the fact that historical signs regarding classic French architecture in this country are virtually non-existent.
So, if you're interested, here are some basics:
The mansion was built in 1898 by order of the governor of Indochina, Paul Doumer, who later became the French president. Before the house was built, there was a Nguyen dynasty royal residence on the site, but the French razed it. In later years, it became one of the puppet emperor Bao Dai's retreats.
Why is there a display of artifacts from a Chinese shipwreck here, instead, for example, of texts and artifacts related to the administration of France's top boss in Indochina from 1897-1902? And, oh, by the way, he was assassinated in Paris in 1932 by a crazy Russian. There's a fascinating history which could and should be told at this faux "museum," yet all you get are a few display cases filled with unimpressive Chinese porcelain and then the upstairs rooms which feature ugly, rotting, and not even historically accurate furniture.
So, if you're interested, here are some basics:
The mansion was built in 1898 by order of the governor of Indochina, Paul Doumer, who later became the French president. Before the house was built, there was a Nguyen dynasty royal residence on the site, but the French razed it. In later years, it became one of the puppet emperor Bao Dai's retreats.
Why is there a display of artifacts from a Chinese shipwreck here, instead, for example, of texts and artifacts related to the administration of France's top boss in Indochina from 1897-1902? And, oh, by the way, he was assassinated in Paris in 1932 by a crazy Russian. There's a fascinating history which could and should be told at this faux "museum," yet all you get are a few display cases filled with unimpressive Chinese porcelain and then the upstairs rooms which feature ugly, rotting, and not even historically accurate furniture.
Written 17 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
besttourinvungtau
Vung Tau, Vietnam347 contributions
Apr 2015 • Family
This was the Governor-General of Indochina's weekend house during the French colonial era. Bach Dinh means White Place. Many stories say that his daughter was named Blanche (white), and Paul Doumer called the house after his daughter. This is not correct. He had four daughters and four sons. None of his daughters was named Blanche. However, his wife's name was Blanche Richel. Now you know who he named his house after.
Written 3 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter B
Bunbury, Australia151 contributions
Just across the road from the Cable Car but still a little bit hidden. It costs just 25c a ticket to get in to have a look at this beautiful old building with a great deal of history behind it.
Big room and high ceilings and a great display of old Chinese pottery.
This was the residence of the last king of Vietnam.
And then a coffee and cool down under the shady trees.
Worthwhile.
Big room and high ceilings and a great display of old Chinese pottery.
This was the residence of the last king of Vietnam.
And then a coffee and cool down under the shady trees.
Worthwhile.
Written 26 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ali68Kent
United Kingdom113 contributions
Mar 2020
Interesting old French palace
Two floors of artifacts and furniture
Set on a hill so nice views from the ground across Vung Tau
If in the area worth a visit
Two floors of artifacts and furniture
Set on a hill so nice views from the ground across Vung Tau
If in the area worth a visit
Written 14 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack T
Calgary26 contributions
Mar 2019 • Solo
A pleasant walk down the beach road, and a not too difficult climb halfway up a hill brings you to the former French colonial governor's mansion. Great views and a breeze under shade & indoors. Unfortunaely, as a museum, it was not well curated. Interesting salvage artifacts from a 17th century Chinese shipwreck occupied the entire ground floor and were interesting, but there was nothing of note on the upper/second floor.
However, the admission price was less than $US 0.75, so I can't really complain.
However, the admission price was less than $US 0.75, so I can't really complain.
Written 28 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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