House of Nguyễn Bá Bạt

Although being set on the list of preserved French-style villas by Hà Nội City authorities in 2013, the house is in a bad condition and the original structure can hardly be seen.

According to Linda Mazur's research, Phạm Thị Thuận, the wife of Nguyễn Thuý Mại (those father owned the house), remembers that the entry, shaded by two coconut palm trees, led to a large reception salon. The heavy, cotton, sky-blue drapes matched the walls; imported brown leather sofas and armchairs ensured the important guests could relax in comfort.

On the second floor were bedrooms with the central master suite, and a bedroom on the right for the twelve boys with six beds against each wall divided by a central walkway. On the left was the smaller bedroom of Mại and Thuận, the married couple.

The top floor terrace supported the family altar; the servants lived behind the house conveniently near the kitchens.

As Linda Mazur writes, the growth of international trade in the 1920s and the photographs of cruise liners full of French tourists in newspapers, magazines and newsreels created a desire in Hà Nội for streamlined, nautical themes in construction. Perhaps the home owners had experienced the delights of a cruise or merely found the sleek lines a fitting statement of their own up-to-date lifestyles. The rounded front entrance and second floor master bedroom facing the corner of Nguyễn Gia Thiều and Liên Trì Streets emulate the prow of a boat. The glassed-in curve of the second floor bedroom duplicates the captain's bridge on a foredeck.

Circular port holes adorn the walls facing the streets. These round windows, although seen as innovative in other parts of the world, were not new to Việt Nam; similar shapes can be found in temples, which also often included Chinese or Vietnamese Nôm script in the centre of the window.

According to Linda Mazur's research, the original owner of the house, Nguyễn Bá Bạt, was from Sài Gòn originally, but was recruited by the French administration in Hà Nội to serve as the Director of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone from 1938 to 1951.

So probably the house has been built by the end of the 30s. The architect is unfortunately unknown.

In 1952, Nguyễn Bá Bạt relocated to Sài Gòn (now Hồ Chí Minh City) as the Director General. His second son, Nguyễn Thuý Mại, remained in Hà Nội lived with his wife in the house.

We do not have any current information about the ownership.

• Mazur: Hidden Houses of Hà Nội and the Stories They Tell, 2016