Preserving old houses

In the tranquil atmosphere of the old houses amidst the countryside of southeastern Vietnam, one feels as if they are touching a realm of memories. Hundreds of years have passed, many generations of people who lived in these old houses are no longer with us, but the old houses still retain their folk beauty and heartwarming stories of human connection.

An old house is being preserved by the people of Dat Do town (Dat Do district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province).

I won't sell it no matter how much you offer.

Many people in modern life, fascinated by collecting antique houses, have repeatedly inquired about buying the house simply to show off or to build a resort, but the owner has consistently refused. This is the story of Mr. Nguyen Van Hong, the current owner of an antique house in Thanh Long neighborhood, Dat Do town, Dat Do district (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province).

Brushing aside the sacks of harvested rice, Mr. Hong wiped away his sweat, quickly put on a thin jacket, and welcomed us to tea and refreshments on his polished ebony wooden platform. Mr. Hong explained that he is the fifth generation to live in this house. Built in 1922, the house still retains its exquisite carvings on the wood, rafters, and beams. The ebony platform, the pair of long benches, and the horizontal plaque are relics of a bygone era, carefully preserved within the house. Because of this refined quality, a historical film crew about the heroine Vo Thi Sau chose Mr. Hong's house to film a scene in "The Councilman's House." Therefore, Mr. Hong only built a new house to live in, not to demolish it, and certainly not to sell the house at any price. The house is so well-preserved that the five mother-of-pearl altars, the long benches, and even the bookshelf with Chinese characters remain intact. In some places, the roof tiles are leaking, so Mr. Hong went to great lengths to find new tiles to patch them up. The walls on both sides of the house were slightly damaged by termites, and he planned to replace them with better quality wood when he had the money, but he was determined not to lose the ancient charm of this ancestral home.

Also in Thanh Long neighborhood, Dat Do town, Mr. Bui Van Sam's house is nearly a century old. To enter his house, visitors must pass through a garden with many kinds of fruit trees, ornamental plants, bamboo, and even wild grass and vegetables... Like Mr. Hong, Mr. Sam accepts living in hardship and poverty but resolutely refuses to sell his house, even though the money from the sale would be enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. Many people say he is eccentric, but he has his own reasons. He refuses to sell because he believes, "selling the house of my ancestors is like selling my ancestors, and that would bring bad luck."

Standing before the warm, somber, and spacious worship space in the house built in 1890 by Mr. Huynh Trong Nghia's family (Phuoc Son neighborhood, Dat Do town), we felt even more strongly what Mr. Hong and Mr. Sam had expressed. Mr. Nghia's ancient house, passed down through three generations, sits amidst a garden spanning thousands of square meters, boasting opulent interiors: gilded couplets and horizontal plaques, mother-of-pearl inlaid altars, two-tiered rosewood beds, and ornate tables and chairs in both Chinese and Louis XVI styles. The T-shaped architectural style with its three elaborately carved worship rooms partly reflects the prestige of the owner at the time of its construction.

Similar to Mr. Huynh Trong Nghia's house in the shape of the Chinese character "ding," but next to the ancestral altar of Mr. Le Van Con's family (Phuoc Trung neighborhood), built by his ancestors nearly a century ago, there is an additional waiting area called a "thao bac," where guests can sit and drink tea or play cards for entertainment during holidays and festivals. This type of house is symbolically called a "cong" house (a house with a "cong" character), and if a balcony is added around it like a temple or pagoda, it is called an "inner cong, outer quoc" house (inner cong, outer quoc). Mr. Con said that even with money, it's not certain that one could build a house like this now, so he wouldn't sell it at any price.

Locals tend to bonsai trees in front of a centuries-old house in Long Dien district (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province).

Not just with a sincere heart

According to statistics from the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Museum, there are currently about 177 ancient folk architectural structures in the province, mostly located in Dat Do district. Of these, 46 houses were built before 1900, 86 houses were built between 1900 and 1950, and the rest were built after 1950. This is a valuable asset of ancient folk architecture in terms of cultural symbolism.

However, during the process of socio -economic development, especially urbanization in recent years, ancient architectural works are at risk of disappearing. To develop a plan for preserving ancient folk houses, the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Museum collaborated with the Southern Architecture Center to carry out the project "Investigation and Survey of the Preservation of Ancient Folk Architecture in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province". The project team proposed solutions for preserving and promoting the value of ancient folk architecture, including: policies for preservation and promotion, education and awareness campaigns about the values ​​of ancient folk architecture, the construction of parks for preserving ancient architecture, and the construction of residential areas following ancient architectural styles. In addition, tourism companies could partner with localities rich in ancient architecture to organize cultural tourism tours, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the value of these "old houses" in contemporary life. However, the project has not yet been implemented due to a lack of funding.

How can we preserve and safeguard ancient houses with their remaining traditional folk culture? This is not only the responsibility of the individual owners but of society as a whole. Time waits for no one, and preservation methods cannot simply be achieved through… good intentions.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/gin-giu-nhung-mai-nha-xua-10293810.html