Chocolate factory in South Philly tied up in dispute over Vietnamese millionaire's estate

Last week, The New York Times published a fascinating profile of Truong Dinh Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant turned New York City real estate magnate who passed away in 2012. He left behind a legacy of questionable business practices, 16 children, five women who claim to have been married to him, a fortune valued at $100 million and no will.

As one might expect given those circumstances, Tran's assets have been tied up in an ugly family dispute for years as his kin assert competing inheritance claims. According to the Times, things got so bad that court officials appointed an administrator just to maintain or sell the many high-profile buildings Tran had amassed — including South Philadelphia's massive Frankford Chocolate Factory at 21st and Washington.

Tran bought that property for $5.75 million in 2007, subsequently announcing his vision of constructing a $100 million cultural center called "New Vietnam." He had workers hang an enormous banner on the side of the ancient factory bearing his likeness and a peculiar mission statement in English and Vietnamese: "Welcome to Philadelphia! You are invited to live your dream and be your own boss in this city."

But years later, little else has changed. After Tran died, the tattered remnants of the banner were eventually taken down, and the future of the complex still remains unclear.

Recently, a cellular company added some broadcasting equipment to the factory's smokestack, suggesting that someone, likely court-appointed administrator Stanley Parness, was working to recoup some of the value of the hulking complex. But Parness died unexpectedly a few weeks ago, once again throwing the fate of the Frankford Chocolate factory and Tran's other notable holdings — including the Hotel Carter in Times Square — back into limbo. 

Adding to the quagmire is a lawsuit filed last year by one of Tran's sons, Nam T. Tran, against his father's old holding company, Alphonse Hotel Company. In the filing, which speaks to the internecine nature of the larger family dispute, the younger Tran alledges that he had an "oral agreement" to get a slice of the $100 million renovation job that was to take place at Frankford Chocolate, eventually signing a 20-year lease agreement to that end. Parness, through his attorneys, supposedly described the lease as a "sham" last year.