The house is also a shrine to the Tran family. It has become a tourist site, which attracts many visitors, cultural experts, students of fine arts, architecture, etc.  to learn about architecture, customs and traditional rituals.

Phu's grandfather is Tran Van Sau, who is well-versed in etiquette, customs and practices of the Southern people. He preserved and passed on traditional values to his descendants the cultural knowledge he had learned.

From a young age, whenever he saw his grandfather presenting offerings, couplets on New Year's Day, guiding his relatives to prepare the Tet tray, Huu Phu watched attentively. 

At first, Phu was just curious, but over time, those activities were absorbed into his blood and became passion.

With the love of his grandson, Sau devoted himself to protecting and teaching Phu the cultural knowledge and traditional customs of the Tran family in particular and the Southern people in general.

Around the age of 16, Phu already knew the history and origins of his family, and could take care of worshiping on his behalf in accordance with traditional Southern culture.

In addition to the long-standing customs, Huu Phu also has a special interest in ancient houses. The young man began to cherish a plan to restore the ancient house of the Tran family.

Phu considers the restoration of the family shrine to be a way to pay filial piety to his grandfather and parents.

To learn about the culture and ancient houses of the South, Huu Phu studied Fine Arts at the Dong Thap University. During this time, Phu took advantage of his free time to find other old houses in the southwestern region to learn how to restore them.

Phu also taught, painted, assembled statues and accumulated money to fulfill his dreams. After graduation, the young painter returned to his hometown to consult with his grandfather and parents about restoring the Tran family shrine.

Before Phu's enthusiasm, the family agreed and financed his work.

According to Phu, the Tran family shrine was built by Mr. Tran Van Bieng, Phu’s great grandfather in 1934 in Phuoc Hiep village in Mo Cay Nam district. After the country’s liberation, Mr. Sau restored and moved the shrine to the current location. However, the shrine design was not the original one.

In 2018, Phu began restoring his family shrine based on the original design in 1934. His project completed after one year. 

The outside of the house follows Western architecture, and the inside is decorated almost like the old shrine. The items inside are all antiques.

In addition to material values, the Tran family house contains the thoughts and concerns of a young person who wants to preserve national culture. It has become a cultural tourist attraction, welcoming many visitors.

Ngoc Lai