Close-up of an ancient house over 200 years old, among the most beautiful in Vietnam

(Fatherland) - The more than 200-year-old house in Tay Giai village, Vinh Tien commune (Vinh Loc, Thanh Hoa) is recognized by UNESCO as one of the most beautiful traditional folk houses in Vietnam.

(Fatherland) - The more than 200-year-old house in Tay Giai village, Vinh Tien commune (Vinh Loc, Thanh Hoa) is recognized by UNESCO as one of the most beautiful traditional folk houses in Vietnam.

The ancient house on Tay Do land (Vinh Loc) belongs to the family of Mr. Pham Ngoc Tung, the 7th generation of the Pham family, about 200m from the world cultural heritage of Ho Dynasty Citadel. According to Mr. Tung, the house was built in 1810, when the Patriarch was working as an Eight-Rank official in the Nguyen court.

After more than 200 years, with many ups and downs of time, climate,... the house has still been preserved almost intact. Becoming a favorite tourist attraction for domestic and international tourists.

Ancient house with unique architecture

Mr. Tung said that when building the house, his great-grandfather took the trouble to invite a group of the best workers from old Nam Ha (now Ha Nam province) and a group of carpenters from Dat Tai village (now Hoang Dat commune, Hoang Hoa). , Thanh Hoa) to construct the house.

The house has 7 rooms, including 3 main rooms and 4 auxiliary rooms. Among them, the 3 middle spaces were used by Mr. Tung's family as a place to worship and receive guests. The entire house is about 9m wide, about 21m long, built in an upside-down style (an architectural style typical of ancient Vietnamese people to create an airy and spacious space).

The over 200 year old house of Mr. Pham Ngoc Tung's family in Tay Giai village, Vinh Tien commune (Vinh Loc, Thanh Hoa)

In particular, most of the house frames, columns, rafters, oars, doors, etc. were made of precious woods at that time such as Xoan, Sing, and Tau. Among them, oval wood is used the most because of its lightness and low termite properties.

"The architecture of the house is in the traditional style of stacking a row of beams and stacking seven rows of beams, typical of the Northern house style at that time. The rhythm and patterns include the four sacred animals of dragon - ly - turtle - phoenix and the four precious animals of pine - chrysanthemum - bamboo - apricot.

Each pattern and sculpture on the trusses has its own meaning and does not overlap but is always in opposite directions and symmetrical," Mr. Tung said, pointing to the pattern rhythms on the rafter system. column.

According to the ancients' point of view, decorating motifs according to the four sacred animals and four precious animals implies harmony between heaven and earth, as well as lasting longevity, nobility and peace.

The house was built in 1810 in an upside-down style, with multi-panel doors, which have the effect of widening or closing the air to bring cool breeze or light into the house.

After more than 2 centuries, the house is still preserved almost intact. Only a few pillars have rotted and degraded over time, rain and sun, so the base of the pillars have been replaced.

One of the recent renovations was in 2002, under the program "Preserving traditional Vietnamese folk houses". The program is a cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Information of Vietnam (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and the Japanese international cooperation organization (Jica).

"The parts that are replaced or repaired are clearly recorded, including the date and time, the new part, etc.," Mr. Tung said.

During the resistance war against the French and Americans, the house was a place to store food, organize meetings and rest for soldiers. Currently, the house is the living place of Mr. Tung's family, and is also a sightseeing and check-in place for many tourists when visiting the world cultural heritage of Ho Dynasty Citadel.

Mr. Tung said that every day his family's house welcomes many tourists to visit and take photos. In particular, the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center has placed an introduction board with a convenient QR code for visitors who want to learn about the history and architecture of the house.

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Update day : 12/09/2023