Thousands of visitors visit the first opening of the Bac Bo Palace

Bac Bo Palace with its ancient French architecture and many historical stories attracted thousands of visitors when it first opened.

The Government Guest House or Bac Bo Palace will open to visitors for the first time from November 9 to 17, within the framework of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024.

The Tonkin Palace was built in 1918, with ancient French architectural style, and was once called the Palace of the Governor of Tonkin; Palace of the Imperial Envoy of Tonkin.

The building witnessed many historical milestones in both the resistance wars against France and the US. In 1945, President Ho Chi Minh came here to work, the building was called Bac Bo Phu.

Panoramic view of Bac Bo Palace from above.

This building, together with the Governor's Office (now the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs), the Metropole Hotel and the Dien Hong Garden (the toad flower garden) form a complex of architectural, historical, cultural and landscape value - according to the Government Guest House website.

The bullet holes on the front fence of the building were highlighted by artists, thereby emphasizing the historical vestiges of the 1946 Battle of Bac Bo Phu.

The Bac Bo Palace has three floors, including a basement, but only part of the first floor is open for visitors to visit and learn about the building through posters on the wall. The visiting space is small but always crowded with visitors from morning to afternoon.

On the morning of November 10, about 2,000 residents and tourists visited the project. Visitors were of various ages, especially many young people and families with small children.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, a tour guide for Vietravel, welcomed dozens of tourist groups since November 9. He was surprised by the interest of young visitors in his presentation on the history of Bac Bo Palace.

"The first time I stepped inside, I clearly felt the heroic historical spirit of the nation, especially when reading about the battle of Bac Bo Phu in 1946," he said.

During the first two days of opening, Tuan Anh’s company welcomed about 200 visitors to the Bac Bo Palace, each tour lasting 30 minutes. Visitors were impressed when they first saw inside the Bac Bo Palace and learned more about its history and culture.

"It's really touching and moving to come here and read the historical documents," said Dang Thanh Ha, a resident of Ba Dinh District. Ha said the creative design festival brings people closer to the city's iconic structures.

The Northern Palace is currently the place to serve the foreign reception activities of the Party, the State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pictured is one of the two reception rooms on the first floor, open for visitors to see from the outside.

Many visitors also regret not being able to visit the Bac Bo Palace more closely because the open space on the first floor is quite small. In the picture is the remaining reception room, visitors from outside.

The dragon motif on the threshold facing the back yard of Bac Bo Palace is a rare detail that shows the oriental character of the overall project.

According to the tour guide, this is a work of ceramic mosaic art and is found in many buildings of the Nguyen Dynasty. After importing the ceramics, the craftsman broke them into small pieces and then joined them together with cement.

During the creative design festival, the back yard of the Government Guest House was used to display works from the installation exhibition "Present" by a group of sculptors and graphic designers from Hanoi Architectural University. The authors wanted to express a perspective on the old values ​​that are looming in everyday life.

Ms. Hoang Yen, who lives in Hanoi, has been visiting the festival's attractions since the first day. She commented that the festival brings many stories about Hanoi, creating a space to connect people. Through the festival, she hopes her daughter will gain more knowledge and be inspired to be creative.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/hang-nghin-khach-tham-quan-bac-bo-phu-lan-dau-mo-cua-3329128.html