VietNamNet Bridge - After eight months of construction, dozens of artisans from the Kim Bong carpentry village (Hoi An, Quang Nam) have successfully restored a traditional nha ruong house in Quang Ngai City. The house has been opened to the public from February 14, displaying more than 300 antiques.


 

 

 

 

 
 

The house consists of three compartments, connected with each other by a 40m corridor. Mr. Vo Hoai Nam, Chairman of the Thien An Cultural Heritage Association (Quang Ngai), said artisans collected materials from three old houses in the districts of Duc Pho and Binh Son (120 to 300 years) to restore this original nha ruong.

 

 
 

A red lacquer, trimmed with gold, casket from the 19th century of collector Le Quoc Trung – a member of the Thien An Cultural Heritage Association. More than 300 artifacts on display in the house are mainly ceramics of the Le, Ly, Tran, and Nguyen dynasties and My Thien ceramics dating from the 12th to 20th centuries.

 

 

 
 

The collection of royal ceramic bowls of the Nguyen dynasty of Mr. Vo Hoai Nam, Chair of the Thien An Cultural Heritage Association.

 

 

 
 

 

The collection of Dong Son bronze axes and some ceramic items by Tran Sac, a member of the Thien An Cultural Heritage Association.

 

 

 

 
 

A collection of Chu Dau ceramics.

 

 

 
 

Artisan Lam Du Xenh shows visitors the collection of old books of Champa (15-16th centuries), which were written on dried buong leaves and pasteboard.

 

 

 

 
 

The collection of My Thien ceramic items.

 

 

 
 

Dr. Nguyen Dang Vu, director of the Department of Culture Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai,  said that within the 5,000 m2 campus of Quang Ngai Museum, a traditional nha dai house of the Cor ethnic will be restored to help visitors learn about cultural heritage of Quang Ngai.

 

 

 
 

Nha ruong – hand made traditional wooden houses – can be found in the central provinces in Vietnam including Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Quang Binh provinces.

Some people believe that Nha Ruong first originated in northern Vietnam, as wooden stilt houses of the Muong ethnic people in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces, and then they headed south during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Many Nha Ruong have a sloping tile roof, to cope with the rainy season. It has actually four roofs, made of double tile or other types. The tiles are placed tightly, helping the house retain its structural integrity.

Nha Ruong are constructed based on eastern philosophy, which holds that all things originate from a single source and expand in all directions. This is why before constructing a Nha Ruong, the owner must first determine the center point, which establishes the location of other parts of the house and their direction.

With Vietnam’s current fast-paced development and rapid urbanization, Nha Ruong are on the verge of disappearing. More efforts must be made to preserve this precious architecture.



VNE