The old villa before

The roof of the villa has been removed

This villa was built for French generals in Saigon in the early 20th century.

During the Vietnam War, it was the home of a general of the Saigon regime.

After 1975, the villa became a state asset.

The villa is the home of the family of Mr. Le Thanh Cong, 82. As the house is in dispute, it has not been repaired for a long time and has gradually deteriorated.

In late 2015, Cong offered it for sale for VND35 billion ($1.3 million).

In June 2016, the new owner dismantled the old villa.

HCM City has over 100 French-styled villas, which were built in the French colonial period. To be repaired or dismantled, the owners of these works must be licensed by the HCM City Planning-Architecture Department and the HCM City People’s Community.

The People’s Committee of Binh Thanh district has asked the new owner of the century old villa in No Trang Long street to stop demolishing it after receiving information from an official.

Pham Tran Hai, deputy head of Urban Management Department under the HCMC Institute for Development Studies said the beautiful villa is fully deserving of being ranked among group 1 of villas with outstanding architectural values in need of preservation.

The villa was completely unroofed and some walls demolished. Fortunately, skillfully carved pillars have been untouched.

The remains of the old villa. The photo was taken on June 27.