One hundred years of Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village

The ancient village of Dong Hoa Hiep in Cai Be commune, Dong Thap province was formed in the 18th century. From the 19th century to the early 20th century, on this land there were many houses built with precious woods, tiled roofs, high and wide, with unique architecture combining the East and the West.

Foreign tourists visit Mr. Kiet's ancient house on December 2, 2025.

Hundred years of preservation

In the 18th century (1732), Lord Nguyen established Dinh Phien Tran, a new unit called Dinh Long Ho (now Vinh Long province) and chose An Binh Dong village (now Cai Be commune, Dong Thap province) as the headquarters of Dinh Long Ho. Existing for 25 years (until 1757), the headquarters in An Binh Dong village moved to Tam Bao, Long Ho village, Vinh Long province.

During the formation of Dinh Long Ho, the land of Dong Hoa Hiep gathered many mandarins and landowners to live. Many houses were built of wood, tiled roofs, tall, wide, 3-room in Eastern and Western architecture. The ancient houses were not located close together but interspersed with lush fruit gardens, creating a rustic, poetic beauty.

Up to now, some ancient houses in Dong Hoa Hiep still exist and still retain their ancient features such as: Mr. Tran Van Lau's house built in the 19th century (one of the wealthy landowners) now owned by Mr. Tran Tuan Kiet (inherited), Mr. Phan Van Duc's house, Mr. Le Van Xoat's house, Mr. Vo Van Vo's house and some ancient houses located in Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village.

Foreign tourists take souvenir photos at Mr. Kiet's ancient house.

Mrs. Le Thi Chin, wife of Mr. Tran Tuan Kiet (4th generation of Tran family of Mr. Tran Van Lau's ancient house) said: "The ancient house in Dong Hoa Hiep is built according to the traditional Southern house structure with 5 rooms, 3 wings in the shape of the letter T. Inside the ancient houses, the rafters, slats and door panels are carved and decorated with very sophisticated patterns. The most unique is the set of panels carved with harmoniously stylized pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo and apricot trees."

The horizontal lacquered boards and parallel sentences in Mr. Kiet's ancient house are elaborately carved and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, with soft, graceful motifs, demonstrating the high level of art of the ancients.

In addition, wooden, ceramic and bronze items such as altars, tables and chairs, vases, plates, cups, incense burners and statues, which are very aesthetic and have rare value, have also been preserved to this day. The outside space is a large yard, decorated with ancient bonsai trees; in front there is a fence and a sturdy, spacious gate, creating a space that is both serious and beautiful. It shows the luxury, grandeur, majesty and grandeur of the rich people of this period.

Mr. Kiet's old house is often visited by foreign tourists.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ba Duc's old house is located next to Cai Be canal. The house was built in 1870, facing the river and following traditional architecture. However, after the 1938 renovation, the interior columns were raised and the facade was changed to French architectural style.

Inside the house, there are also many sets of panels, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences that are elaborately carved and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. In addition, wooden, ceramic, and bronze objects such as altars, tables, chairs, vases, plates, cups, incense burners, and statues that have aesthetic value and are very rare are still preserved.

Taking us on a tour around the house, Mr. Phan Van Duc, from Ba Duc ancient house in Cai Be commune, Dong Thap province, said: “At this year’s Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Cultural- Tourism Festival, my family’s ancient house was chosen to host the Five-fruit Tray Display Competition and the discussion on Developing Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Tourism Products: Connecting Heritage-Creativity-Sustainability. To organize the activities, the ancient house has focused on decorating, pruning trees…; arranging and organizing the dining area and organizing seminars. At this point, the ancient house is ready for the festival activities.”

Phan Van Duc introduces Ba Duc ancient house.

Preserving architecture for the future

Cai Be Commune has the Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village architectural and artistic relic managed by organizations, individuals and the community, with more than 14 ancient houses over 100 years old, of which 5 are serving tourism such as: Mr. Kiet's ancient house, Ba Duc's ancient house, Mr. Vo's ancient house, Mr. Muoi's ancient house, Mr. Xoat's ancient house.

Among them, Mr. Kiet's ancient house was restored and repaired by the Japanese government 's JICA organization, while the remaining ancient houses were repaired and restored by the owners themselves for tourism business, such as: Ba Duc ancient house, Mr. Vo ancient house, Mr. Muoi ancient house... These ancient houses have exploited their advantages to serve tourists to visit and relax; especially during holidays, Tet and the Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village cultural festival.

However, some ancient houses are currently in disrepair and severely damaged, such as Mr. Xoat's and Mr. Hong's ancient houses. The repair costs are large, and the families of these ancient houses cannot afford them, so they cannot restore them and organize community tourism activities like other ancient houses.

Dong Thap province organizes the 6th Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village festival in 2025.

In 2020, Cai Be commune also sent a letter to Professor Tomada, Director of the Institute of International Cultural Studies at SAHOWA University (Japan), asking for continued support for the restoration of old houses that are currently deteriorating. However, Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village was ranked as a national monument in 2017, so the Japanese side did not support the restoration... Regarding the cost of major restoration and repair, Cai Be commune is also proposing to request the province's approval.

To preserve and promote the value of Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dong Thap province Vo Pham Tan said: "We will continue to promote awareness of heritage protection for people living in the area, focusing on environmental sanitation. At the same time, promote socialization of conservation work, promote the value of ancient villages and encourage and create conditions for individuals and organizations at home and abroad to participate in the work of preserving, restoring and embellishing heritage".

From December 3 to 7, the People's Committee of Dong Thap province organized the 6th Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Cultural-Tourism Festival in 2025. As part of this series of activities, many events took place such as: Ancient village memories, heritage journey, tourism product development, digital journey to the ancient village...

Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village is one of three ancient villages (along with Duong Lam ancient village in Hanoi and Phuoc Tich ancient village in Hue) in Vietnam selected by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (now the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to invest in developing a rural tourism model. The architectural and artistic relic of Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village was ranked as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Decision No. 2080/QD-BVHTTDL in 2017.

NGUYEN SU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tram-nam-lang-co-dong-hoa-hiep-post927596.html