Summary: The Tycoon Nguyen Van Hao and the Poverty of His Descendants

The article chronicles the rise to immense wealth of Nguyen Van Hao, one of the richest Vietnamese merchants in Saigon from the French colonial era until 1975, and the subsequent devastating poverty faced by his descendants due to historical changes.

🚀 Part 1: The Rise of a Tycoon (1890–1971)

Humble Origins and Entrepreneurship

Origin: Nguyen Van Hao (born 1890) was from Tra Vinh, hailing from a family of farmers for generations.
Start-up: He came to Saigon to help his older half-brother, Nguyen Van Kieu, run an auto parts store. He quickly mastered the trade and business operations.
First Business: Around 1929, he established his own auto parts store and a hand-pump gas station on Rue Galliéni (now Tran Hung Dao Street).
Business Acumen:
- He focused on imported goods, competitive pricing, and friendly service, which helped him compete with French-owned companies.
- His wife, Bà Hảo, famously practiced an early form of "sales promotion" by giving drivers a small amount of "lộ phí" (travel allowance/kickback), attracting many customers, especially bus drivers from the Mekong Delta.
Expansion: By 1940, his company was strong enough to import and sell whole cars (Fiat, Lancia, Nash) and acted as a representative for Michelin tires.

Major Assets in Saigon

The Nguyen Van Hao Building: Built between 1933 and 1937 on a highly valuable plot at a four-street intersection (now Tran Hung Dao – Ky Con – Yersin – Ho Van Nga). It was a beautiful, reinforced French-style structure with a small swimming pool and elevator.
Nguyen Van Hao Theater (Rạp Nguyễn Văn Hảo): Purchased and built in the early 1940s, this theater was known as the "aircraft carrier" of Cải Lương (reformed opera) due to its massive size, seating over 1,200 spectators. It was considered the "sanctuary" of the art form for three decades.

Retirement and Philanthropy

Later Life: Around 1960, at age 70, he suddenly returned to his hometown in Tra Vinh, handing over the business to his wife and children.
Hao Tam Pagoda: He purchased 15 hectares of land to build the Hao Tam Pagoda (Chùa Ông Hảo). The temple, constructed in a unique Franco-Vietnamese style with a 9-story tower, took 8 years to complete.
Generosity: He built a market and residential units near the pagoda to support the local community, giving shelter, food, and medicine to people fleeing the war.
Death: He passed away in Saigon in 1971 and was buried in Càng Long, Tra Vinh.

💔 Part 2: Downfall and Present Hardship (Post-1975)

Seizure of Assets

Post-1975: Following the reunification of Vietnam, the family's assets—the four-frontage building, the theater, the garage, and the land/pagoda in Tra Vinh—were seized or nationalized by the state.
Hao Tam Pagoda Tragedy: The massive pagoda complex was taken over, and precious artifacts were confiscated. The site was used by the government for various unsuccessful purposes (hospital, library, children's amusement park) and has since fallen into disrepair and ruin.

The Impoverished Life of Descendants

Nguyen Tam Thanh (Only Son): The only son, who was described as temperamental and not suited for business, inherited no wealth.
Large Family, No Income: Mr. Thanh had nine children with his third wife, leading to severe poverty. The children were forced to drop out of school after 5th or 6th grade and had to eat sorghum (bo bo) and sweet potatoes instead of rice.
Selling Possessions: Mr. Thanh had to gradually sell off what little the family had, including soundproof glass panels from the house, just to buy food.
Current Situation:
- The descendants live in partitioned rooms on the upper floors of the once-grand, four-frontage Saigon house (the ground floor is leased by the state to various businesses).
- The grandchildren primarily work in manual labor jobs (mechanics, rice sellers, glass workers).
- The family has received minimal compensation (e.g., 24 million VND in 2007 for rent accumulated from 1978–1982).
The Long Complaint: Mr. Nguyen Tam Trieu (grandson) revealed the family's continuous, 40-year struggle to reclaim the Hao Tam Pagoda and the family burial grounds in Tra Vinh, arguing that their legitimate legal requests were denied while squatters on their land were allegedly granted title deeds.