Vietnam Travel Blog

A tour named “Following in the footprints of The Lover” is taking tourists to  the house of Huynh Thuy Le, the leading character in the famous French novel and movie “L’Amant” (The Lover).

A scene from “The Lover”.

This tour, attracting hundreds of tourists a day, is offered by the Dong Thap Tourism Company. visitors get to visit the ancient house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, the central character of the famous novel “The Lover” by Marguerite Duras (who is also the lover of Huynh Thuy Le). Other destinations include the Trung Vuong Sa Dec primary school and Ong Quach pagoda.

The ancient house of Huynh Thuy Le has been recognized as a cultural relic of Dong Thap province. This wood-made house was built in 1985. In 1917, it was repaired by brick. The house has three rooms, totaling 258sq.m. The front side is decorated by patterns featuring trees, leaves, flowers, birds and animals. The major room worships Quan Cong, a Chinese legendary character. Furniture inside this room like bed, wardrobe, table and chairs are carved sophisticatedly.

Mr. Huynh Thuy Le’s house in Dong Thap.

The house was used by Huynh Thuy Le’s family. After Le died in 1972, his family went abroad. In 2007, the Dong Thap Tourism Company launched the tour. The firm has combined with nearly 40 travel firms to bring foreign tourists to the site.

The company’s director, Nguyen Thi Nga, said that over 1,000 visitors go to this site each day, 50 percent of them from France.

Tourists can reach the house from HCM City on a Mekong River tour or get there by car or motorbike.