"A little bit of the past remains."
In a quiet corner of Hai Thanh Ward in the ever-changing city of Dong Hoi, Mr. Phan Xuan Hai's house, with its glossy black wood, stands silently as a testament to time. Dating back to the 19th century, the house has been passed down through four generations and has been preserved almost intact.
Mr. Hai, 50 years old, is the youngest of eight children. He used to work in the postal service before switching to the seafood business. "My great-grandfather was a merchant who traded betel nuts and rice from north to south, and he became quite wealthy thanks to his own trading ship. After that, my grandfather and father followed the fishing trade, owned fishing boats, and still did well. Thanks to that, my ancestors acquired many valuable items for the house," Mr. Hai recounted.
The house where Mr. Hai and his family live is built of teak and rosewood, designed with three bays and two wings, a characteristic architectural style of traditional houses in Central Vietnam. Remarkably, the house still preserves about 700 antique items, ranging from religious artifacts, pottery, bronze objects, embroidered paintings, mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture, to horizontal plaques and couplets from the Nguyen dynasty.
Mr. Hai takes good care of the old house.
PHOTO: NGUYEN PHUC
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vui, Mr. Hai's wife, shared: "The house has withstood countless storms and strong winds. Currently, only about 16 wooden pillars remain compared to the original 32, but its spirit is still intact. We live peacefully in the house left by our ancestors. Our children and grandchildren receive a good education, and the family traditions are preserved thanks to this roof."
At the center of the main hall is the ancestral altar with a horizontal plaque inscribed with "one poem, one painting" and ancient couplets, still retaining their exquisite carvings. The mother-of-pearl inlaid long bench, the hundred-year-old wooden table and chairs, the entire system of stools, and potted plants… are a "treasure trove" that Mr. Hai is passionately preserving. "I only hope that the authorities at all levels will have policies to support the preservation of traditional houses like this. Otherwise, they will gradually fade away, and we will lose a part of our national culture," he expressed.
Leaving Hai Thanh, we found another ancient house nestled on the Bao Ninh peninsula, where Mr. Nguyen Quy Dong and his 94-year-old mother live. This traditional house is over 140 years old, dating back to the time of Mr. Dong's grandfather, a Confucian scholar who taught Chinese characters.
A peaceful old house in the heart of Dong Hoi city.
PHOTO: NGUYEN PHUC
The house is not only a place to live but also a sacred place, sheltering the family through years of war. "During the resistance war, this house hid revolutionary cadres. Bombs and bullets rained down everywhere, but absolutely none hit here. I believe it's thanks to the blessings left by my ancestors," Mr. Dong shared. To this day, countless people have offered to buy the house at very high prices, but he has steadfastly refused.
Inside the house, there are still antique tables and chairs, horizontal plaques, couplets, and religious artifacts… Everything seems untouched by time. "Living in this house, I feel proud. The family has good manners, the children are well-educated, and no one does anything wrong. If we don't preserve the traditions of this old house, who will?", Mr. Dong said.
These houses, though over a century old, still stand like boats anchored in the city streets, carrying the soul of Vietnamese culture amidst the flow of time.
Don't let your old home become just a memory.
Mr. Phan Duc Hoa, 72 years old, Chairman of the UNESCO Club for Research and Collection of Ancient Artifacts in Quang Binh , is quietly contributing to the preservation of precious ancient wooden houses in Dong Hoi. Originally from An Thuy commune (Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province), Mr. Hoa grew up surrounded by the familiar image of these traditional wooden houses. Later, after serving in the military and working as an official, he remained deeply concerned: How can we preserve that memory?
Mr. Phan Xuan Hai and his son in their 19th-century ancestral home.
PHOTO: NGUYEN PHUC
"I've been restoring my house since 2009. A traditional house is not just a place to live, but also a way of life. It offers an open space, a place where three or four generations live together, and you see grandparents and grandchildren gathered around for lunch – something rarely seen in modern homes," he said, his voice filled with emotion.
Mr. Hoa's house is now not only a family residence but also a museum with hundreds of antique artifacts, from altars, tables and chairs, paintings and photographs to old household items. Locals, students, and tourists from within and outside the province often come to visit and chat with him about history and the beauty of traditional Vietnamese house architecture.
For Mr. Hoa, a beautiful traditional house is not only about its structure but also about its spirit. "It must have 'a high roof, a wooden base, rafters that reveal three mountains, a lotus leaf-shaped roof, and four neatly aligned pillars.' Every detail has its philosophy and artistry. In the old days, people commonly used rosewood and teak, which were less susceptible to termites. Only wealthy families used precious woods. Now, any house that still has such a structure is very valuable," he said.
Mr. Hoa established a team of carpenters who had been practicing the craft since childhood and still make a living restoring traditional wooden houses. "Someone from Ba Ria-Vung Tau came to visit, saw our house, and then demolished their newly built concrete house, costing 2.7 billion VND, to build a traditional wooden house. Seeing that, I felt both happy and regretful. I regret that other places have ancient houses that are being dismantled and thrown away…," Mr. Hoa recounted. He recalled how many people have removed their horizontal plaques, couplets, and decorative panels and thrown them in the yard because they don't understand the value of those structures. "There are things that should be preserved. In many provinces, dismantling an ancient house requires permission from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Here, many families are still poor and facing economic difficulties, so they sell everything. The number of traditional wooden houses in Dong Hoi with beautiful interiors can now be counted on the fingers of one hand," he lamented.
Despite his advanced age, Mr. Hoa remains dedicated to preservation work. "I only hope that the old houses won't just remain in our memories. We must preserve and cherish them so that future generations will know where they come from," he expressed his heartfelt wish.
Amidst a city burgeoning with skyscrapers, a few ancient traditional houses still stand as living memories, like whispers of ancestors. By preserving these old roofs, people like Mr. Dong, Mr. Hoa, Mr. Hai, and others are safeguarding an entire cultural flow, the very soul of Vietnam.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nha-xua-trong-long-pho-185250618040720407.htm
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