"Vietnam House" in Canada - a bridge connecting Vietnamese culture with international friends

Listed as a heritage building in Ottawa, the “Vietnam House” has been opened to the public three times, continuing to capture the passion for ancient architecture and affection for Vietnam of Canadians and international friends. The opening of the “Vietnam House” to the public is part of an annual event organized by the city of Ottawa to honor the city’s heritage buildings.

"Vietnamese House" in Canada. (Photo: Vietnam+)

The Vietnam House is an ancient house over 100 years old, located at 85 Glebe Avenue, designed by famous Canadian architect WE Noffke, recognized by the city of Ottawa for its heritage value thanks to its unique architecture and harmony with the surrounding landscape. After going through two successive owners, in June 2005, this special house with red tiled roof and white plaster walls was officially named “Vietnam House” when it became the property of the Vietnamese Government .

Not only attracting visitors with its origin, location and architecture, “Vietnam House” is truly a space to bring Vietnamese culture to Canadian and international visitors. The simplicity and sophistication of wooden furniture, ceramic utensils, colorful and rich paintings, even the unique beauty of tropical plants constantly urge visitors to explore the country, people and cultural treasures of the “S” shaped country. Combined with the enthusiasm of volunteers who are officers of representative agencies in Canada, visitors learn more about the good traditional customs and life of the Vietnamese people.

Some visitors, although familiar with the house through receptions held here, still returned on the city's heritage opening day to enjoy the unique beauty of the Vietnam House space.

Many people also expressed surprise at the unexpected harmony between the house's architecture and the interior decoration typical of Vietnamese culture. The Sheahan family, who had lived in this old house for 40 years, when they returned to visit the old place, said they still felt full of memories and were satisfied with the "international appearance" of the house. Colonel Mike Snell, who had participated in the Committee to monitor the Treaty on the Prohibition of Lethal Weapons in Southeast Asia, when visiting the Vietnamese house, recalled his visit to Vietnam in June 1990 with unforgettable memories when visiting Uncle Ho's Mausoleum.

Tourists enjoy the Vietnamese countryside scenery. (Photo: Vietnam+)

The warm welcome of volunteers from the Vietnamese representative agency in Canada and the publications introducing the country, people and culture of Vietnam further helped visitors understand more about the good customs, traditions and lives of the people living in the S-shaped land. Notably, among the visitors were families who adopted Vietnamese children.

“ Vietnam House ” is on the list of more than 130 architectural and cultural heritage buildings of Ottawa. Since 2002, in the first week of June every year, Ottawa organizes the event “Opening Ottawa Heritage Buildings” for free during two weekends to attract residents and international visitors to visit and learn about these heritage buildings.

This year’s event is special because 19 new heritage buildings are being opened to the public. Notable sites include the National Research Council Science Tower, the Canadian Navy’s Advanced Military Training Facility, the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, the University of Ottawa’s Advanced Research Complex, the Canadian Space Agency’s Assistance Dog Training Centre, and Ottawa’s oldest wood-frame building, Billings Estate.

This is the second largest architectural discovery event in North America. To date, after 15 times of organization, the event has attracted 850,000 visitors . The organizers estimate that this year's event alone attracted about 80,000 people./.

Quynh Lien