(TITC) - Belonging to five hamlets of Mong Phu, Cam Thinh, Dong Sang, Doai Giap and Cam Lam, Duong Lam Commune, Son Tay Town, about 45km to the west of Ha Noi, Duong Lam Ancient Village is the only village keeping intactly the structure and way of life of a Vietnamese ancient village in the Northern Midlands.
Due to being the homeland of King Bo Cai (? – 789) and King Ngo Quyen (939 – 944), two national heroes that led insurrections against Tang invaders in the 8th century and the Southern Han in the 10th century, Duong Lam is known as “the land of two kings”. This is also the home of Giang Van Minh - an eminent diplomat in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Duong Lam has still preserved the typical features of a traditional Vietnamese village with village’s gate, banyan tree, well, communal house’s court, etc. The ancient houses from 17th-18th centuries in harmony combination of yards, gardens, wells are located on the fish-bone-shaped roads. The houses in Duong Lam built by traditional materials as laterite, bamboo, wood, clay, rice husk, mud, sawdust, lime, sand, straw are usually cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The houses consists of 5 or 7 compartments and 2 lean-tos. Of which, the largest middle compartment is the place setting the ancestor altar along with horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, old paintings, etc. Here also has wooden settee or bed with tea pot to invite guests.
Besides the ancient houses, Duong Lam also contains many shrines, temples, pagoda, etc and vivid natural landscape of mounds, ponds, lakes, ancient trees and rice field. Therefore, Duong Lam is an attractive destination for photographers, especially in rice harvest season.
Duong Lam Ancient Village has been recognized as National Art Architecture Relic Site since 2005. This is the first ancient village in Viet Nam ranked as a national relic site.
Visiting Duong Lam, visitors don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy or buy local specialties such as banh gai (glutinous rice cake dyed black in a concoction of leaves), peanut candy, sausage candy, sesame candy, etc.
To serve the demand of visitors, Duong Lam Tourism Information Office organizes tours such as sightseeing of historical – cultural relics; sightseeing of ancient houses; farming experience such as growing vegetable, harvesting vegetable, catching fish, field work, etc; traditional craft experience.
Thu Giang