H'mong
King palace or Hoang A Tuong Castle is located in Na Hoi Tho Hamlet,
Bac Ha District, 110km from
Sapa. It is a unique construction work, which harmonizes the Oriental and Western architectural styles
The castle was built at the beginning of the 20th century (between 1914 and 1921). Its owner was Hoang Yen Chao of Tay origin. He was the father of Hoang A Tuong, a tribal mandarin under the domination of the French colonialists.
The castle covers an area of 4,000m? in which the main building occupies 420m?. In front of its arched doors are earthen banks. Occupying a pivotal position overlooking the Bac Ha valley, the castle serves both as the residence of Hoang Yen Chao, then Hoang A Tuong and as a fortress. Its network of walls, bunkers, and battlements were reinforced by a mortar mixed with sugar molasses. In a distance, the white castle jutting out from the valley looks imposing and majestic.
At present, this castle is put under a restoration scheme to better help tourists get insight into the changes of the local
life.
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