OVN - Located in Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village (Tien Giang province), Ba Duc Ancient House is a place that attracts a large number of visitors thanks to the harmonious East - West architecture and long-standing historical value. In 2021, Tien Giang People's Committee recognized Ba Duc Ancient House as a tourist destination with 4-star OCOP standard.

Ba Duc Ancient House - a destination rich in history

At the campus of more than 2 hectares, Ba Duc Ancient House - one of the oldest houses in Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village is currently looked after and managed by Mr. Phan Van Duc. This is one of 36 ancient houses with the age of 80 to more than 200 years in Dong Hoa Hiep village, which have been preserved through many historical ups and downs, so it contains many traditional values.
 
In contrast, in 1732,in 1732, the King Chan Lap Satha II offered the Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu (or the Lord Nguyen Tuc Tong) two plots of My Tho (present-day Tien Giang) and Vinh Long to pray for peace after Prea Sot event provoked the Chan Lap people to harass Saigon. In order to manage the new land, Lord Nguyen established Long Ho Palace, located in An Binh Dong village (Dong Hoa Hiep commune, Cai Be district, Tien Giang province). Since then, Dong Hoa Hiep attracted officials and landowners to live, forming houses with traditional Southern architecture alternating between large orchards. Through the ups and downs of history, Dong Hoa Hiep also preserves 36 ancient houses that are 80 to more than 200 years old, containing many traditional values.
  Through the sharing of Mr. Phan Quang Nhut - the eldest son of Mr. Phan Van Duc, it was built in 1850 by Mr. Phan Van Dang. In 1938, Phan Van Cuong restored and repaired the house. By holding a position in the organizing committee (a French official), she had the opportunity to interact with the French authorities and absorbed the essence of Western architecture. Later, the house adjusted to the east-west architecture combined.
 
The house is divided into 2 parts: the upper house and the lower house are separated from each other by the yard called static (skylight). It plays a role in providing light, and warms the whole space. From the outside, the house is a bit western architectural with round pillars, curved domes and finely patterned sculptures. However, inside the design is based on the southern folk architectural style with the main material being wood.
The four wooden columns in the middle of the house engraved with the parallel sentences “Tích Đức Thắng Di Kim, Xử Thế Đương Kim Tư Mã Huấn - Di Thiện Dỉ Di Bảo, Trì Thân Nhi Tĩnh Sở Thơ Ngôn'' reminding descendants to keep morality worth more than keeping gold, doing better than keeping treasures. Around the wall decorated with 9 European-style drawings, recreating 9 tributaries of the Mekong River, the river is associated with the life of the people of the Southwest.

Besides, this place has also preserved Nguyen dynasty artifacts since French colonial times such as 3 sets of cabinets of nacre worship about the 20th century, pot scrolls, French lamps,... The items are arranged according to the principle of "East Vase – West Fruit", the east arranges a variety of local specialty fruits: green grapefruit, connoisseur orange, longan ... to the west place the ceramic vases of the Nguyen period decorated with ornate motifs. Especially in the main booth, there is a wooden box engraved with 4 sides of the dragon served with the ordination of the gods given by the kings Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Tu Duc to Dong Hoa Hiep village.

Ba Duc Ancient house - attractive cultural tourist destination

Mr. Nhut said that in 1994, some tourism companies came to Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village to survey, suggesting that people in the area develop into rural tourist destinations associated with heritage. In order to preserve and introduce the local culture in general and the family in particular, Mr. Phan Van Duc began to embellish the sightseeing and resort area named Ba Duc Ancient House. In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a decision to recognize Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village as a national cultural relic, so the number of visitors here is increasing. Therefore, Ba Duc Ancient House Co., Ltd. was also officially established, developing modern services such as homestay, restaurants,... serving visitors.  
 
In addition to valuable artifacts, what visitors like the most when coming to this place is to listen to the history, culture of the South and the traditional lifestyle told by family members. At the same time, in order to spread the cuisine of the people, Ba Duc Ancient House also serves many southern dishes including sour soup, braised fish …Not only that, visitors also have the opportunity to experience the processing of some traditional dishes with the Ba Duc family, thereby noticing the hospitality and close personality characteristic of the Southern people. Wỉh the historical and cultural values preserved and handed down, in 2021, Tien Giang People's Committee recognized Ba Duc Ancient House Tourist Attraction with 4-star OCOP standard. This certification contributes to promoting local tourism, attracting domestic and foreign tourists.

In the past two years due to the Covid-19 epidemic, Ba Duc Ancient House has temporarily not been opened. However, the family still maintains the production of some traditional products such as shrimp puff pastry to meet the people’s needs. In the face of the situation of Vietnam recovering tourism, Ba Duc Ancient House is preparing to renovate and improve many services, ready to welcome visitors back to experience.

Qui Nhi (Translated by Ha Diep)