VietNamNet Bridge - Situated near Cai Muoi Canal which is always crowded with boats and junks, Cai Cuong ancient house in Binh Hoa Phuoc Commune, Long Ho District of Vinh Long Province is an architectural structure of European and Oriental styles.

At present it is an interesting destination for domestic and international tourists on their tour to explore the land of gardens in the southwest.

The ancient house was owned by the family of Pham Van Bon who was a great local landowner in the old days. According to My Hanh, a tourist guide from Vinh Long Tourism Joint Stock Company, Pham Van Bon was the richest man in this area so people also called him Cai Cuong (Corporal Cuong).

Cai Cuong ancient house was built in 1885 in the shape of the Ding letter, consisting of two detached houses with the end of the second house attached to the middle of the first house, creating a perpendicular line.

The front of the house faces Cai Muoi Canal. The unique feature of the house lies in the mix between the Oriental and Occidental interior and exterior architecture. This is a design style of combined French and Vietnamese architecture, in which the interior is harmonious with the Oriental traditional art and culture, while the exterior is harmonious with Occidental architecture.

The house is 15m wide and has 6m-high ironwood columns which support the roof covered with the yin-yang and fish scale tiles. In front of the house is a corridor with two doors leading to the elegant bow-shaped stairs.

The columns and walls are decorated with bas-relief of the Renaissance, creating a high aesthetic value while lessening the effects of the sun and rain. The open-air veranda outside, two symmetrical bow-shaped stairs to the house and a small shrine facing the centre of the house bear the typical architectural and cultural features of the south. The doors are built in the shape of a semicircular dome, showing that the owner of the house is wealthy and has “influence” in the society.

The main structure inside the ancient house is made of precious wood and decorated in the Oriental style.

The house is divided into three parts: the front, middle and back houses. The front and middle houses are a large space where the owner places tables and chairs for guests. There is a gigantic wooden wall between these houses. In the central part of the middle house there is a large lacquered board engraved with the Chinese characters “Pham Phu Duong” (meaning the house of the Pham family) on the wall and the ancestral altars of Cai Cuong family on both sides.

The back house has three compartments. The middle compartment is a space with a door to the back garden and the side compartments are symmetrical bedrooms with walls made of ironwood. Although the sculptural patterns are not sophisticated and sharp, they are full of aesthetics. The open windows and well-arranged furniture further embellish the ancient house, making it look more luxurious.

The most splendid feature of the interior of the house is a set of wooden partitions engraved with dragons, phoenix, birds and trees and all are done in red lacquer trimmed with gold, making them very eye-catching.

Other items such as the altars, wardrobes, tables, sofas and trestle-beds which are made of ironwood or Xylia xylocarpa wood from the late 19th century are kept almost intact by the family. The floor of the house is 1m, higher than the yard and tiled with blue stones from France, bringing an elegant beauty to the house.

Now, Cai Cuong ancient house is managed by 64-year-old Vo Huynh Long, a descendant of the 3rd generation of the Pham family. 15 years ago, he let out the house to Cuu Long Tourism Joint-Stock Company for tourism activities.

The company has restored and repaired the house and provided tourist services, such as tours, Don ca tai tu (music of amateurs) performance and picking fruit in the garden. In particular, visitors can stay overnight in the two bedrooms of Cai Cuong’s family.

They drink tea at night, listen to the stories of the past and join the owner’s children in cooking to learn more about the long-standing lifestyle of the southern people.

The guide will introduce southern traditional musical instruments and instruct on how to play the instruments to help visitors understand more about the cultural life of the local people.

Source: VNP