Madame De Dalat Tour Guide – Tran Le Xuan Villa: An ancient villa with artistic features in the heart of Dalat

Discover the cultural tourist destination Madame de Dalat (Tran Le Xuan Villa) - an ancient villa in Dalat that is both beautiful for virtual living and rich in cultural values, suitable for tourists who love deep experiences. This article provides full details about Tran Le Xuan Villa, from ticket information, opening hours, suggested schedule to subdivisions such as Madame Show, Japanese garden and Woodblock Museum.

If you are looking for a new tourist destination in Dalat that is both culturally profound, “chill” and extremely photogenic, then Madame de Dalat is the name you should not miss this year's tourist season.

1. Where is Madame de Dalat? Detailed information about visiting Madame de Dalat (Tran Le Xuan Palace)

Madame de Dalat from above. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

• Address: No. 2, Yet Kieu Street, Ward 5, Da Lat, Lam Dong

Located on a poetic pine hillside, a prime location of the highland city of Da Lat, Tran Le Xuan Villa was built more than half a century ago. This is the resort of Advisor Ngo Dinh Nhu and his wife, First Lady Tran Le Xuan. The East-West architecture blends with villas such as Lam Ngoc, Bach Ngoc and Hong Ngoc, once praised as "The First Villa in the South".

With a modern appearance but still retaining its inherent elegance and classicism, Madame de Dalat was restored on the foundation of Tran Le Xuan Palace - one of the ancient villas in Dalat with long-standing historical value.

After the 1963 turmoil, this place used to be a museum, then abandoned. By 2024, this place was restored and reopened under the new name "Madame de Dalat", becoming a cultural tourist destination, especially attracting young people.

The complex includes three main villas (Lam Ngoc - Hong Ngoc - Bach Ngoc), Japanese garden, Nguyen Dynasty Woodblock exhibition area, "Ao Dai Road", Madame Show art stage and many unique check-in areas.

2. Unique architecture with very fancy names

Lam Ngoc Villa stands out in the campus. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

  2.1. Lam Ngoc Villa

Including Lam Ngoc I and Lam Ngoc II, this is the main living space of the owner, designed in French architectural style with a system of living room, meeting room, ballroom, bedroom, each room has a fireplace.

The architectural space is elaborately decorated, fully equipped with modern appliances and expensive jewelry selected and ordered from Europe - America...
In particular, Tran Le Xuan also built a secret shelter in her bedroom and an escape tunnel leading to Cam Ly military airport.

2.2. Hong Ngoc Villa

Hong Ngoc Villa has a typical “French house” design with a beautiful fireplace system, shuttered windows outside, glass doors inside and very thick walls for insulation.

This villa was renovated by Tran Le Xuan as a gift for her father, Mr. Tran Van Chuong, who was then the ambassador of the Republic of Vietnam to the United States. But before Mr. Tran Van Chuong could move in, the coup that overthrew the Ngo Dinh Diem regime took place on November 1, 1963.

2.3. Bach Ngoc Villa

Bach Ngoc Villa with a bar design and a large fireplace in the shape of a Central Highlands communal house roof in the middle was used as a place for entertainment for Tran Le Xuan's family and also a place to welcome foreign guests and high-ranking generals of the Republic of Vietnam regime.

Madame Nhu Garden (formerly known as the Japanese Garden) is filled with historical details and hints about the most mysterious woman in modern Vietnamese history - Mrs. Tran Le Xuan, the former owner of the villa. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

  2.4. Japanese flower garden

Behind the Lam Ngoc Villa is a Japanese flower garden. To create this garden, Tran Le Xuan invited Japanese architect Hiroshi Kitagawa to design and construct it. In addition to the elaborate Japanese style, the garden also has a highlight of an artificial stream and a lake shaped like a map of Vietnam. In the middle of the lake, there are rocks cut across symbolizing the 17th parallel, at the end of the lake there is a bridge spanning the territory of Ca Mau cape.

2.5. Heated swimming pool

The hot water swimming pool was personally designed and built by Tran Le Xuan with a volume of 300m3 of water, the deepest point is up to 2.2m. The swimming pool is equipped with a water heating system to serve the owner and guests in the cold weather of Da Lat. With a blue tiled floor hidden in the sky, the swimming pool has become an interesting check-in spot for young people when coming to Da Lat today.

3. Madame de Dalat - The "hot" destination in Dalat in 2025

The Ao Dai Street area tells the history of Ao Dai through the ages. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

  The perfect blend of history and modernity

Madame de Dalat is more than just a photo spot. This is where you can learn about the life of Madame Tran Le Xuan – a controversial historical figure in the politics of South Vietnam during the 1950s–1960s, and explore the exquisitely restored original architecture of one of the most famous ancient villas in Dalat.

Extremely artistic check-in spot between Europe and Asia

The flower gardens, lakes, blue tiled roofs, glass corridors, antique interiors combined with contemporary colors will make any photo you take here have a cinematic feel. The “Memory Garden” and “Ao Dai Road” spaces especially attract young people who love fashion and retro.

Experience Madame Show – Artistic highlight at Tran Le Xuan Palace

Madame Show is the first live performance in Da Lat, taking the audience through 130 years of Central Highlands history through music, contemporary dance, light and drama. A rare experience in Da Lat, helping you understand more about the spirit and depth of the misty land.

4. Detailed information about the tourist attraction Tran Le Xuan Palace

The Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks are currently stored in Madame De Dalat with a quantity of up to 34,619 plates. (Photo: Madame de Dalat)

Opening hours:

• Moc Ban Area: 8:00 – 11:30, 13:30 – 16:30 all days of the week
• Tran Le Xuan Villa Area: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm every day of the week
• Madame Show: 18:30 – 19:30, every Saturday

Reference ticket price:

• Woodblock Package: 30,000 VND (Free child ticket)
• Blue Jade Package: 178,000 VND (Children: 50,000 VND)
• Bach Ngoc Package (including Madame Show): 650,000 VND (Children: 289,000 VND)
• Madame de Dalat package (including Madame Show + afternoon tea set): 850,000 VND (Children: 389,000 VND).

 

5. Some small notes to make your visit to Madame de Dalat more complete

Madame Show is performed in a heritage space, full of fascinating architecture on the background of Tran Le Xuan Palace. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

• Taking photos here is very beautiful with a classic concept, so you should bring white, beige, pastel blue or ao dai to "match the vibe".
• Madame Show is often fully booked on weekends, you should book tickets in advance through the official website.
• Although it is an old villa in Da Lat, the space is still very youthful and artistic - suitable for groups of young people, couples and families.

Madame de Dalat is not only a beautiful check-in destination but also a journey to immerse yourself in architecture - art - history, rarely seen in the fast-paced tourist life of modern Dalat. If you want to have a truly different experience in your journey to explore the foggy city, don't forget to add the most beautiful ancient villa in Dalat - Tran Le Xuan Palace to your itinerary.

Source: https://www.vietravel.com/vn/am-thuc-kham-pha/cam-nang-tham-quan-biet-thu-co-o-da-lat-madame-de-dalat-biet-dien-tran-le-xuan-v17409.aspx