ĐÀ LẠT — The first ever procession of wax figures depicting King Bảo Đại and Queen Nam Phương, the last royal family of Việt Nam, will be held on Friday in Đà Lạt, a city in the central highlands province of Lâm Đồng.

The statutes will be transported by horse-drawn carriage in a ceremonial procession on Friday morning through the streets of the city.

The procession will depart from Trần Hưng Đạo Street and travel to Xuân Hương Lake, before arriving at the King Palace 1, one of three remaining palaces of the King

The King Palace 1 is surrounded by an 18ha pine forest and sits at an altitude of 1,550m,. Situated on Trần Quang Diệu Street, 4 km from Đà Lạt city’s centre, it was built by the French millionaire Robert Clement Bourgery in 1940.

King Bảo Đại  used it as his general headquarters and a workplace with government officials from 1949 to 1954 when he served as the Head of State of the puppet government in the French-occupied zone during the first Indochia war (after his abdication in 1945).

The special procession is part of the festival “King Bảo Đại and the traces of his Palaces” which is held from June 8-12 this year. The pubic visiting King Palace 1 on this occasion can also view photos of the King’s Palaces throughout the country from North to South, including Hải Phòng, Huế, Đắk Lắk, Nha Trang, Đà Lạt and Vũng Tàu.

Organisers say that these displays would provide citizens throughout the nation the opportunity to view images of the last royal family and reflect on the historical significance of the Nguyễn Dynasty and its impact on modern society. The Palace would not only aim to preserve the souvenirs of the King, but also provide a cultural exchange with the public.

Bảo Đại was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Việt Nam. From 1926 to 1945, he was emperor of Annam (former name of central Việt Nam, under French colonisation). — VNS