Duong Lam ancient village is a commune in Son Tay city town, Hanoi, 50 km from the city center.
The village attracts visitors because of its ancient houses and the architectural features of a typical old Vietnamese village with banyan trees, the river wharf and the yard of the communal house.
Duong Lam village in Son Tay town (some 45km to the west of Hanoi) is the first ancient village recognised as a national cultural historical relic by the Minister of Culture and Information in May 19th , 2006.
Duong Lam is now having 9 villages with 956 traditional houses. This is the only place to keep the complete structure and the daily habits of one ancient village.
Especially, Duong Lam village also keeps banyan trees, village drans,communal houses, wells having thousands years of age, beside ancient houses with the architecture from 17th to 18th century with the customs and religions which are kept the same in many generations.
Through two village gates which have been faded, located under the shade of a giant banian tree of 300 years of age, are hamlets, village paths, tile roofs, laterite wall, and ancient architectural works in the community full of character of an agricultural village and the mark of a wet rice culture.
The details make the “the soul” of the ancient house including laterite wall, laterite gate, high threshold, and ancestor altar room. The gate of the house has the shape of the cupola, which is delicate in the line and stable thanks to laterite materials. Each house is a heirloom, which is historic, cultural and the holy worshipping place of each clan.
The unique feature is the village architecture: fishbone paths including the main axis with many alleys connecting with each other, village people can arrive home in any ways and the stealers can not escape (when being alerted, village people go out and meet each other in one place).
Duong Lam people live mainly by farming, with cultivation, breeding, they also have secondary jobs such as: making tofu, flour candy…., Duong Lam people are aware of the cultural values of the village.They know the meditative beauty of the ancient houses attracting pilgrims to remind of the past.
To Duong Lam ancient village, we are astonished by an ancient place keeping the time colors with the world containing many mysteries which have been gradually opened.
(Talkvietnam)
