Visiting the old house of the Governor.

A place of worship inside an old house.

On the breezy banks of the Tay Ninh canal , amidst magnificent high-rise buildings, the existence of this old house stands out, attracting the attention of passersby. The house has almost completely preserved its original architecture. Inside, many household items belonging to the owner from the French colonial era are still carefully preserved.

"Treasures" of the old house

The house, which holds significant cultural and historical value, belonged to Mr. Nguyen Van Kien, born in 1851 in Quang Nam province. He studied in France and later returned to Vietnam, holding several positions such as District Chief in Chau Doc, Prefect in Trang Bang district, Governor of Tay Ninh, and Governor of My Tho. During his time as Governor of Tay Ninh, he commissioned the construction of this house. Mr. Kien passed away in 1914.

The house at the back contains many antique and imitation antique ceramic items.

Today, the wooden elements in the house still retain their beautiful carvings. The decorative panels and scrolls are carved with images of dragons, unicorns, turtles, phoenixes, bats, peacocks, plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, bamboo, lotus flowers, birds, pine trees, deer, grapes, squirrels, and more.

Prominently displayed in front of the house are sculptures of a scroll, plum blossoms, and two dragons. Below the scroll is a multi-layered, embossed rose. On either side of the scroll are carvings of two dragons hidden amidst swirling clouds. The system of rafters connecting the columns and the purlins near the roof are also intricately carved with elaborate floral and leaf patterns.

In particular, the roof trusses are shaped with soft, flowing curves, and the ends that meet the column capitals are decorated with intricate "pine and deer" motifs. The artistry of the old house is also evident in the pairs of gilded and lacquered Chinese couplets with embossed and carved patterns.

Inside the house, there are two pairs of couplets arranged in the front and middle. In 2019, during a visit to study the ancient house of Governor Nguyen Van Kien, folk culture researcher and Master's degree holder Nguyen Thi Nguyet commented: "Generally, the decorative wood carvings in the interior of the ancient house feature two main decorative styles: left unpainted and gilded, creating a beauty that is both magnificent and solemn, simple yet very refined, highlighting the main details in the overall decoration."

Scrolls, plum blossoms, and two dragons adorn the entrance to the old house.

The interior of the house is decorated in a purely Vietnamese style. The central room is arranged as a place of worship with incense altars, a shrine for ancestral spirits, and a portrait of Governor Nguyen Van Kien. In front of the Governor's altar is a set of eight precious weapons (eight types of ancient weapons commonly used for decoration); in the center of the house is a display stand for the ranking of the ancient house of Governor Nguyen Van Kien as a historical relic.

The house still contains a few sets of antique wooden tables and chairs, two sets of wooden planks, and some items from the French colonial era such as: a landline telephone, a typewriter, a record player, etc. With its historical, cultural, and architectural values, the old house of Governor Nguyen Van Kien has been classified as a provincial-level architectural and artistic relic according to Decision No. 213/QD-UBND dated February 3, 2017, of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tay Ninh province.

Antique furniture in an old house.

This antique furniture set was painstakingly collected by Mr. Kiet.

The house behind was built with an architectural style quite similar to the old house in front.

Continuing the tradition of ancient architecture.

Behind the main house were auxiliary structures such as the kitchen, rice storage, and servants' quarters. In previous years, these structures had deteriorated and collapsed. In 2015, Mr. Nguyen Anh Kiet - a fifth-generation descendant of Governor Nguyen Van Kien - built a new house on the foundation behind the main house.

The back house was built with architecture quite similar to the old house in front. Mr. Kiet said that the back house was built in a traditional style, using old materials. The back house has hexagonal tile flooring, similar to the floor tiles of the old house in front. The entire wall is built with old bricks, without plastering.

Portrait of Governor Nguyen Van Kien.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, who has spent many years researching the culture and architecture of Tay Ninh, said: "These bricks were bought by the homeowner from Sang-da Citadel, a former military headquarters in Tay Ninh, now the headquarters of the Tay Ninh Provincial Military Command."

When the house deteriorated, the local authorities ordered its demolition, and Mr. Kiet bought the bricks to rebuild his house. The construction of the new house with its traditional architecture shows that Mr. Kien's descendants are aware of and appreciate the value of the old house left behind by the former Governor."

The house of Governor Nguyen Van Kien was built in 1894, in the shape of the letter "đinh" (a Vietnamese character meaning "nail"), measuring 20m in length and 12m in width. The foundation is 1m higher than the courtyard, bordered with blue stone. The walls are constructed of 40cm thick bricks bonded together with lime mortar, and the roof is covered with fish-scale tiles.

The house has 32 wooden columns. The two rows of columns in the middle of the house are about 8 meters high and about 2 meters in diameter. All the columns, beams, walls, floors, and even the altar are made entirely of precious woods. The floor is paved with hexagonal tiles. The front room (main room) is used to receive guests.

At the front of the house is a main entrance and eight side doors, evenly distributed on both sides. All doors are made of wood and designed as folding doors. The central section of the house has small rooms on either side. The long, narrow section at the back is used for living, cooking, and resting. Additionally, the house has a sunny courtyard at the rear to provide natural light and ventilation.

The back section of the house consists of a ground floor and a mezzanine. The staircase to the mezzanine is paved with large, smooth tiles, and the wooden handrail is polished to a beautiful shine. The roof is built in the style of an old-fashioned attic, combining wood and concrete. The ground floor is divided into several small rooms, with a central hallway leading into them.

The upper floor is a large, spacious area displaying family mementos. There's an antique altar, and old-fashioned wooden tables and chairs inlaid with shimmering mother-of-pearl. Several windows, designed in the old style with vertical iron bars and horizontal louvered shutters, let in more sunlight and breeze.

The new house is decorated with many antiques, collected and purchased by Mr. Kiet. On the columns and walls are pairs of mother-of-pearl inlaid couplets and horizontal plaques, European chandeliers, and a wooden pendulum clock. In the center of the house is an antique wooden table and chairs. On the display shelves are many antique and imitation antique ceramic items such as various types of vases, cups, plates, earthenware jars, terracotta, etc. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet commented: “All the furnishings and architecture of the new house are quite harmonious, fitting the transitional space between the past and the present.”

Currently, not many ancient architectural structures remain in Tay Ninh. The old house of the Governor-General preserves many values related to history, art, architecture, beliefs, and customs of people from Central Vietnam who settled and established their lives in Tay Ninh. The old house of Governor-General Nguyen Van Kien is one of the typical old houses of the Southeast region and needs to be given attention and preserved.

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