{"id":2602,"date":"2021-08-12T10:39:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T10:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/tourism\/anecdotes-cong-tu-bac-lieu"},"modified":"2026-01-20T08:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:47:18","slug":"anecdotes-cong-tu-bac-lieu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/mekong-delta-people\/anecdotes-cong-tu-bac-lieu","title":{"rendered":"Anecdotes “C\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The idiom \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d dates back to the colonial and feudal era, referring to the sons of wealthy landowners who went to Saigon to attend French schools, spent money extravagantly for pleasure, and showed off a lifestyle beyond compare.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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For a long time, the idiom \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d has been passed down orally among the people to describe the luxurious and indulgent lifestyle of young masters and young ladies born into aristocratic and extremely wealthy landlord families in Southern Vietnam during the colonial and feudal periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this day, many people are familiar with the saying, but perhaps few know that the person who embodied the very spirit of \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d was Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Huy (real name Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Quy), born on June 22, 1900 in V\u0129nh H\u01b0ng Village, V\u0129nh L\u1ee3i District, B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau Province, and who passed away at his private residence on January 13, 1974 in Saigon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


At that time, the French colonial administration had stabilized its organizational control over Cochinchina. The redistribution of farmland led to the emergence of many large landowners in the region. Folk tradition gave rise to the saying \u201cFirst S\u1ef9, second Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng, third X\u01b0\u1eddng, fourth Tr\u1ea1ch,\u201d referring to the four wealthiest landowners in Cochinchina.
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Following the trend of the time, wealthy landlords and aristocrats throughout Cochinchina often sent their children to Saigon to study at French schools, or even to study abroad in France. However, most of these affluent young men, influenced by the splendor of urban life and backed by abundant wealth, tended to become flamboyant playboys eager to show off their status. Among them, none could spend money like the young masters of B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau.
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The idiom \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d originated during that period. Later, it came to refer exclusively to Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Huy, as no other young master could match him in terms of wealth and extravagance. From then on, \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d became the unique title of Ba Huy, uncontested by anyone else.
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In addition, Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Huy was known by many other names such as Ba Huy, H\u1ed9i \u0111\u1ed3ng Ba (as called by tenant farmers), and the Black Prince (H\u1eafc c\u00f4ng t\u1eed)\u2014due to his dark complexion and to distinguish him from the White Prince of M\u1ef9 Tho (Ti\u1ec1n Giang). He was born into one of the wealthiest landlord families in Southern Vietnam in the early 20th century.
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The father of the C\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau was Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Tr\u1ea1ch (also known as H\u1ed9i \u0111\u1ed3ng Tr\u1ea1ch), the owner of 74 estates with 110,000 hectares of rice fields, nearly 100,000 hectares of salt fields, dozens of multi-story townhouses in B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau, and numerous luxurious villas in C\u1ea7n Th\u01a1, Saigon, V\u0169ng T\u00e0u, and \u0110\u00e0 L\u1ea1t.
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The Real Life of Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Huy<\/strong>
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After three years of studying in France, Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Huy returned without earning any academic degrees or titles for the Tr\u1ea7n Trinh family. His luggage upon returning home consisted of experience in ballroom dancing, driving cars, and a heart full of longing for his French wife and the child he had left behind in the City of Light, Paris.
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Upon returning to Vietnam, Ba Huy had several Vietnamese wives and countless lovers. His first wife in B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau was Ng\u00f4 Th\u1ecb \u0110en, with whom he had a daughter named Hai L\u01b0\u1ee1ng. Later, Hai L\u01b0\u1ee1ng went to live in France. From 1945 onward, Ba Huy settled permanently in Saigon, where he married Nguy\u1ec5n Th\u1ecb M\u1eb9o in M\u1ef9 Tho and had four children named Hi\u1ebfu, Th\u1ea3o, Nh\u01a1n, and \u0110\u1ee9c. His last wife was a \u201cbarefoot beauty\u201d named B\u00f9i Th\u1ecb Ba, who made a living carrying water for hire. She was very beautiful and 40 years younger than Ba Huy.
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Around 1968, Ba Huy lived in a house on Nguy\u1ec5n Du Street in Saigon. Every morning, looking down from the upper floor, he noticed a beautiful young woman carrying water back and forth and soon developed feelings for her. Upon inquiry, he learned that she was the daughter of a bicycle repairman. Ba Huy immediately approached the family and proposed exchanging his house for the young woman.
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From then on, the hired water carrier became the wife of the Black Prince, remaining faithful to him until his death. Together, they had two sons and two daughters named Ho\u00e0n, To\u00e0n, and Trinh, N\u1eef. In addition to the \u201cofficial\u201d wives mentioned above, the number of mistresses and lovers he had was beyond counting.
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Alongside his extravagant and flamboyant lifestyle within a wealthy family, Ba Huy was also a kind-hearted man who lived with compassion and generosity, always ready to help the poor in times of hardship. Tenant farmers never saw him demand debts; for those in extreme poverty, he would even reduce the rent. As a result, few tenant farmers harbored resentment toward him.
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In social relationships, Ba Huy did not live cautiously or calculatingly. In the eyes of underworld figures of the time, he was considered the most admirable man in Southern Vietnam\u2014not because of his outward elegance, but because of his open-minded and indulgent way of life. In the eyes of the French, Ba Huy was respected for marrying a French woman and employing French workers.
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Anecdotes About the C\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau<\/strong>
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Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Tr\u1ea1ch entrusted Ba Huy with overseeing the family estates. When collecting debts in the provinces, Ba Huy used a Ford Vedette, while for leisure he owned a Peugeot sports car manufactured in 1922. At that time, only two such cars existed in Southern Vietnam\u2014the other belonged to Emperor B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i.
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Ba Huy also hired a Frenchman named Henri Esp\u00e9rinas, his brother-in-law and husband of T\u01b0 Nh\u1edbt. He served as the estate manager, overseeing the family assets under Ba Huy\u2019s authority. According to the contract, the manager received 10% of the total annual profits. That was why Henri left his homeland to work for his wife\u2019s family, returning to France only after April 1975.
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One sensational event at the time was Ba Huy inspecting his rice fields by airplane. At that time, there were only two airplanes in Vietnam\u2014one owned by the C\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau and the other by Emperor B\u1ea3o \u0110\u1ea1i. On one flight to inspect land in R\u1ea1ch Gi\u00e1, Ba Huy whimsically decided to fly out to the sea near H\u00e0 Ti\u00ean. He continued flying until the fuel gauge hit empty, forcing an emergency landing. Upon landing, Ba Huy was shocked to discover he had flown all the way into Thailand.
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Tr\u1ea7n Trinh Huy was arrested by Thai authorities and fined 200,000 bushels of rice. H\u1ed9i \u0111\u1ed3ng Tr\u1ea1ch had to send a long convoy of boats loaded with rice to Thailand to ransom his beloved son. Ba Huy was the first Vietnamese to own a private airplane and a private airstrip.
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Ba Huy lived an extremely luxurious and lavish lifestyle. Whenever he went out, he wore expensive tailored suits. His daily habit was to have a Western-style breakfast, Chinese lunch, and Western dinner. Every trip from B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau to Saigon was made in a luxurious car with a chauffeur. In Saigon, he rarely stayed at his family villa, preferring instead to stay at one of the city\u2019s most luxurious hotels. On leisurely outings, he would sometimes hire dozens of rickshaws\u2014sitting in one himself, while the others carried items such as hats and canes.
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One legendary anecdote dates back to 1929, when the White Prince established two c\u1ea3i l\u01b0\u01a1ng (traditional opera) troupes named Ph\u01b0\u1edbc C\u01b0\u01a1ng and Hu\u1ef3nh K\u1ef3, inviting famous actresses N\u0103m Ph\u1ec9 and B\u1ea3y Ph\u00f9ng H\u00e1 to star as leading performers. On one occasion, when the Hu\u1ef3nh K\u1ef3 troupe came to perform in B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau, the White Prince invited the Black Prince to attend.
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During the performance, the White Prince accidentally dropped a five-\u0111\u1ed3ng banknote. He nudged the Black Prince with his foot to help search for it. The Black Prince asked, \u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d \u201cA five-\u0111\u1ed3ng note,\u201d replied the White Prince. Smiling, the Black Prince said, \u201cLet me light a torch so you can look for it.\u201d He then took out a 100-\u0111\u1ed3ng bill and set it on fire to illuminate the search\u2014at a time when a bushel of rice cost only 8\u20139 cents.
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After suffering such a humiliating blow, the White Prince remarked after the show, \u201cYou really hit me hard.\u201d He then challenged the Black Prince: \u201cIf you\u2019re truly that good, let\u2019s each burn a kilogram of mung beans with money\u2014whoever boils theirs first wins.\u201d The Black Prince accepted without hesitation. The following evening, he laid out a red carpet from the gate to the steps of his house (now the B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau Provincial Museum), placing a servant holding a torch every meter to welcome the White Prince\u2019s entourage.
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Two pots of mung beans were placed on the stove, and both princes burned money to heat them. That night, the White Prince\u2019s pot boiled first. Ba Huy was also an avid gambler; at times, he wagered 30,000 \u0111\u1ed3ng on a single card game, while rice cost only 1.7 \u0111\u1ed3ng per bushel and the monthly salary of the Governor of Cochinchina was less than 3,000 \u0111\u1ed3ng.
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According to D\u00e2n Vi\u1ec7t<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The idiom \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d dates back to the colonial and feudal era, referring to the sons of wealthy landowners who went to Saigon to attend French schools, spent money extravagantly for pleasure, and showed off a lifestyle beyond compare. For a long time, the idiom \u201cC\u00f4ng t\u1eed B\u1ea1c Li\u00eau\u201d has been passed down…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[651],"tags":[998],"location":[658],"class_list":["post-2602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mekong-delta-people","tag-bac-lieu","location-bac-lieu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2622,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602\/revisions\/2622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanhoamientay.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=2602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}