Former French Homes

In the early 1900's when I suspect these French homes were built, the French colonial government was in full swing.  French high society lived in these homes.  They were either linked to the government or they owned a rubber plantations or maybe they owned paddy fields for growing rice.  World War II was the beginning of the end for them when the Japanese threw the French out of Vietnam during the war.  By 1970, when I arrived, the French were long gone.

You can see that the fences hadn't had paint in a long time.  That bird house in the snapshot below must have cost a fortune to build in its time.  It was wasting away.  I noticed that windows were open in a few places.  I believe that caretakers were living in the homes.

I checked on the internet and could not find any indication that these houses still exist.  It wouldn't surprise me if they were torn down by the communists from North Vietnam when they took over the South in 1975.  They wouldn't have liked them because they represented a former colonial power who in their mind lived high while the population suffered.  Besides, who could have afforded to fix them up and live in them again.

It amazes me how quickly a country can change as conquerors come and go.  What did this location look like before the French and what must it look like now.  Maybe some day I will get over there and see for myself.