"Old house" on Hoanh Son roof

(QBĐT) - On the roofs of Hoanh Son in the communes of Quang Hop, Quang Kim, Quang Chau, Quang Phu, Quang Dong (Quang Trach), there are now many spacious and modern high-rise buildings. However, in those villages, it is not difficult to see "old houses" built in the old architectural style, 50-60 years old. Coming to these houses, we feel like we are lost in the space of the old days.

Steadfast over time

The Hoanh Son range is like a majestic Great Wall that surrounds the land of the northern communes of Quang Trach district. Along with that, the poetic Loan River flows in front of it, creating a land with "back to the mountain, face to the river" with a charming landscape.

Based on that terrain, generations of people here have built houses and established villages to “settle down and make a living”, lasting hundreds of years. After many changes of time, today, inside the villages under the roof of Hoanh Son, interspersed with spacious and solid high-rise buildings, there still exist hundreds of “old houses” that are 50-60 years old, standing firm with time.

Over a pot of green tea, Mr. Ta Tan Nho (71 years old, in village 3, Quang Kim commune) - the owner of an "old house" - said: "My family's house was built by my parents around 1970. At that time, I was in the army, when I returned from the army, I saw that the house had been completed. When my parents passed away, they left the house to me and my family has lived here ever since."

The house of Mrs. Dam Thi Ninh (81 years old) in Hung Son village (Quang Kim) was built over 60 years ago.

According to Mr. Nho, just like the “old houses” in the area, the frame (the system of columns, beams, rafters, purlins, etc.) of the house he is living in is made of wood, the foundation and walls are built of stone, all of which are mined on the Hoanh Son range. The mortar used to build the house is made from oyster lime bought from the coastal village of Canh Duong.

To build such houses, people living near Hoanh Son roof had to work hard to go to the forest to cut wood, dig stones and save for years. With the help of relatives, neighbors and the skillful hands of skilled workers, these houses took months to complete.

“Although not as modern as today’s houses, thanks to being made of good wood from the Hoanh Son range and the walls being built very thick, the house is very sturdy. Having gone through countless storms and rainy seasons, the house is still sturdy over time. In particular, although it is a bit low, this house is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Every time I come home from work, just stepping into the house makes me feel refreshed, all the fatigue from the field seems to disappear,” Mr. Nho shared.

A place to keep the "soul of the countryside"

Amidst modern life and the impact of urbanization, the young generation in the villages near Hoanh Son roof have gradually become accustomed to living in newly built, modern, and spacious houses. However, in those villages, there are still people, especially the elderly, who prefer to live in the “old house” style.

Because according to them, those "old houses" are places that carry nostalgic childhood memories, are places that preserve the soul of the countryside so that generations of descendants can remember their roots and the merits of their ancestors. Many people, when visiting those "old houses", feel like they are lost in the space of the old, peaceful days that everyone wants to return to.

According to the book “Geography of Quang Kim Commune”, like other villages in Quang Binh , the “old houses” of Hoanh Son area were built by the people in 3 main styles: Trenh house, Bang house and T-shaped house. Trenh house, also known as Ruong house, usually has 2 types (5 rooms and 3 rooms).

The state house is also called the front guest house and the back host house. Basically, the state house has a structure similar to the trenh house. The difference between the state house and the trenh house is that the state house reduces the row of main columns in the front; at the same time, the trenh is replaced by a truncated strip connecting from the back main column to the front sub-column. Above the bang at the position of the front main column is a supporting column connecting from the rafters to the truncated bang.

The T-shaped house has many different structures such as one-room, two-room, three-room. The structure is simple because people think that this is just a secondary house, usually a kitchen or a house for poor families. The T-shaped house does not pay much attention to wood, however, the priority is usually ironwood or teak wood for the pillars of the whole house.

In village 4, Mrs. Tu Thi Ut (80 years old) lives alone in an "old house" built in 1967, although she has 7 children, both boys and girls, and all of them have decent houses. After nearly 60 years, Mrs. Ut has kept the house intact. Every detail in the house seems unchanged, items such as the rice storage bed, cupboard, tables and chairs, and kitchen shelves are all half a century old and still in good use. In the garden, Mrs. Ut grows crops such as peanuts and corn and builds a bamboo fence around it to add to the simple beauty of the house. In particular, on the porch there is a clear well built of stone that is approximately the same age as the house.

Uncle Ut confided: “Seeing me living in the old, dilapidated house, my children have suggested many times to demolish it and build a new one, but I absolutely disagree. Because this house is the most valuable asset that my husband and I have saved up for many years to build. The house is where my husband and I have witnessed our children grow up and mature. Now that my husband has passed away, I want to worship him in this house. I also told my children that after I pass away, they must not sell or dismantle the house but use it as an ancestral house or simply a meeting place for siblings and descendants.”

According to Nguyen Duc Hung, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Kim Commune, in the commune and other communes in the region, there are currently many cases of elderly people who prefer to live alone in "old houses" like Ms. Ut. For example, in Hung Son village, there is also the case of Ms. Dam Thi Ninh (81 years old) who has 4 children living nearby and all have decent houses, but her children have tried to persuade her but she still refuses to leave her "old house". She only comes to her children's house when there is heavy rain or storms, and feels unsafe.

According to Mr. Hung, amidst the pressures of modern life, full of pragmatic viewpoints and ways of thinking, it is truly precious and worthy of respect that there are people like Mr. Ut and Mr. Ninh who still like to live in such "old houses". Thanks to that, the "old houses" on the Hoanh Son roof are still durable and sturdy over time, preserving the "countryside soul" and precious cultural values of the homeland and country.

Phan Phuong

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