Hoang Yen Tchao Castle or Hoang A Tuong Castle is an architectural and artistic work that has existed for more than 100 years in Bac Ha, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists.
The castle was built at the beginning of the 20th century (between 1914 and 1921). Its owner was Hoang Yen Tchao of Tay origin. He was the father of Hoang A Tuong, a tribal mandarin under the domination of the French colonialists. To build this house, he invited a geomancer to go around the area to see the location, the land, to find a place where yin and yang are in harmony, a perfect environment.
The castle covers an area of 4,000m² in which the main building occupies 420m². In front of its arched doors are earthen banks. Occupying a pivotal position overlooking the Bac Ha valley, the castle serves both as residence of Hoang Yen Chao then Hoang A Tuong and as a fortress.
The main building faces southeast, leaning against the mountain, with a stream in front, a closed rectangular layout with 36 rooms, a system of escape tunnels behind, surrounded by walls with many loopholes, and a path on the wall for guards to patrol.
The main house is deep inside, on both sides of the entrance are outbuildings, in front is a screen, in the middle is a courtyard. To enter the palace, you have to climb the stairs from both sides, then go to the waiting room, and then enter the large yard.
In addition to the living space for the members of Hoang Yen Tchao’s family, the palace also has a living room, an office, a room for French officials and advisors to run the governing apparatus, and a worship room on the top floor.
The column system and roof are embossed with many grapevine and laurel motifs symbolizing prosperity, warmth, and happiness. The roof is covered with yin-yang tiles.
The arched door system and the arc-shaped staircase create an impression of innovation and grandeur for the building. The main facade is decorated with many elaborate motifs. On the right and left sides, two parallel sentences are embossed with the content of wishing the family glory.
Documentary images of the interior of the palace when Hoang Yen Tchao’s family was still living. The equipment was expensive and rare at that time.
Among the rooms, the Hoang family’s worship room is the room on the top floor, opposite the entrance, airy, creating solemnity, tranquility, opening the door to see the sky and earth, the harmony of yin and yang. According to feng shui, this worship room is “located in a good position and facing a good direction for the homeowner, to show respect to ancestors, wishing for the life of descendants to be prosperous forever.
Mr. Hoang Yen Tchao’s family lived here until 1950 and then left. After that, the house was abandoned, most of the furniture in the house was gone. Over the past decades, the mansion has been renovated many times, the paint color has been changed and the interior has been made. However, the unique architectural features of the house remain almost intact.
Currently, all the rooms are places to display images and documents for visitors to visit. In 1999, the mansion was recognized as a National Architectural and Artistic Monument.
Hoang Yen Tchao Castle is one of the destinations not to be missed when traveling to Bac Ha in particular and Lao Cai in general, attracting hundreds of visitors every day. Admission fee for adults is 20,000 VND, children from 6 to 16 years old are 10,000 VND. Children under 6 years old and people with disabilities are free of charge.
Source: collected by An
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