The villas were built in 1923 on an area of 12 hectares on Canh Long Mountain by the French as accommodation for researchers working at the city's oceanography institute. From 1940 to 1945, King Bao Dai and his wife visited the area frequently, which led to the site being named Bao Dai's villas. The site was recognised as a cultural and historical relic in 1995 and is now a tourist attraction in Nha Trang City.

In 2013, Khanh Ha Investment Company were licensed to develop the Bao Dai Resort Nha Trang project across 13.60 hectares, including the five villas. However, the company failed to carry out the project, and it was suspended in 2017.

The five villas have been neglected since and have badly deteriorated.

In early 2023, Khanh Ha Investment Company proposed to return the management responsibilities of the five villas to local authorities.

The Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports Director, Nguyen Van Nhuan, expressed his optimism, stating that they will invite experts to help restore and upgrade the villas.

Bao Dai (1913-1997) was the last king of Vietnam. He had many holiday retreats scattered throughout the country, many of which have become famous tourist attractions, such as Sapa, Dalat, Vung Tau and Nha Trang.