Duong Lam Ancient Village is the first ancient village to be recognized as a national relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Far from the center of Hanoi, about 60 km, the village is located in the town of Son Tay, Hanoi. The whole village is considered a unique laterite museum with old houses dating back over 400 years.
Two of the kings of Vietnam, Phung Hung (761-802) and Ngo Quyen (896-944) were born in Duong Lam, which gave the village its prestige. The two men waged wars of resistance against the invasion of the north and after winning national independence they were crowned kings. After his death, local people built temples in his honor.
The ancient village has a history of around 1,200 years with many houses dating back 400 years. Unlike the ancient city of Hoi An or the bustle of the urban lifestyle of Hanoi Old Quarter in previous centuries, the ancient town of Duong Lam is more like a rural area, heavily affected by fashion. of agricultural life. Strongly inspired by traditional Vietnamese culture, the ancient town of Duong Lam has a main wooden gate with winding-roofed porticoes (typical of the northern region). Surrounding the town is the system of ponds that create lovely landscapes, helping to reduce the summer heat on extremely hot northern days. The peculiarity of the town is that most of the constructions are made of laterite and mud, two abundant materials in the region. Laterite is used in house walls, doors, wells, temple walls, etc. The mud is extracted from the ponds. Most of the old houses kept fences, gates, patio, gardens, main house, outbuildings, kitchens, ranches…
The common well has been built in every village in Duong Lam village. The well bears the name of the hamlet in which it is located. Today, each family has its own well, but the common well has been protected because it contains many traces of the villagers.
The town hall is a place of worship to the god, founder of the city. The old village has 5 longhouses. The Longhouses Doai Giap and Cam Lam are dedicated to Phung Hung, the national hero who won victory against the invaders in the Duong dynasty; The Cam Thinh longhouse dedicates the founder of the village and the great mandarin Cao Phuc Dien, the hero of the Le dynasty. The Dong Sang longhouse worships God, but it was destroyed by fire and restored with the financial support of the people. The god Tan Vien Son was consecrated in the longhouse of Mong Phu. Until now, the Mong Phu longhouse has been a meeting place for villagers for cultural activities. The common house has been carefully furnished with sophisticated decoration details. It is considered a flower of unique sculptural architecture.
The total area is 800.25 ha. The old village complex has 9 small villages, which are Mong Phu, Dong Sang, Doai Giap, Cam Thinh, Cam Lam, Phu Khang, Ha Tan, Hung Thinh and Van Mieu in Son Tay town. Tourists are invited to visit Mia Pagoda (built in the 15th century and admire 287 statues of all sizes), the door of the Mong Phu Longhouse (built in 1833), the Ngo Quyen Mausoleum (a national hero who fought Mongolian armed forces in 938) and Tay Phuong Pagoda while walking through the village of Duong Lam. Built in the 8th century, Tay Phuong Pagoda is the best example of ancient pagodas typical of northern Vietnam. You might want to see the 18 ancient statues of Arhan located in Tay Phuong Pagoda.
The wooden house has mainly 5 or 7 bays with 2 wings. It has 5 rows of columns, sometimes 1 row disappears. The house specializes in sophisticated carved details in the shape of flowers, leaves, clouds. A wooden door system is very firm. Each bay has 4 door leaves with top and bottom seals. The thresholds were solid wood more than 40 to 50 cm from the ground and 10 cm from the ground. This distance allows good ventilation and prevents humidity through the thresholds. The complete threshold system is the connection system that connects all the bays together.
Traveling to Son Tay to visit Duong Lam ancient village by bus is a good idea for travelers. Take bus n ° 71, if you are coming from My Dinh station; bus number 70, if you come from Kim Ma station; or bus 77, if you are coming from Ha Dong station. All bus lines stop at Son Tay station, where you can take a taxi or xe om (bicycle taxi) to reach Duong Lam town. However, you still have to walk through the vast area to explore each of the historical attractions. If walking takes too much time and effort, you can try renting a bike. They offer rent by the hour or by the day according to your preferences.
Thanks to the request to spend the night in the old village, there is a host family open in the area to serve special guests from all over the world. The host family is located in He District (called “Xom He”), Mong Phu, Duong Lam Village, Son Tay Province, Ha Noi. Decorated as much as possible, spending the night with the locals can make tourists feel like part of the old town with a traditional and peaceful North Vietnamese lifestyle. If you are a cultural explorer, the place is definitely the place you wanted to come to.
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