With the lush green natural landscape blending with the old appearance of the ancient house. This place will definitely bring you many interesting and useful things. Let’s visit and learn about this unique ancient house with Origin Vietnam.
1. Where is Huynh Phu Ancient House?
Huynh Phu Ancient House is located in Khu Pho Hamlet, Dai Dien Commune, Thanh Phu District, Ben Tre Province, Vietnam. It is about 42 km southeast of Ben Tre city center and about 125 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.
2. How is Huynh Phu ancient house unique?
Huynh Phu ancient house is more than a century old, it is the pride of local people in particular and Ben Tre province people in general. Huynh Phu ancient house is majestic with the architecture style of Hue’s house, the type of house that only really rich families can afford to build.
This house was built by Mr. Huynh Ngoc Khiem from 1890 to 1904. With a total area of more than 500m², he built this house in the style of a cross. In the most rectangular shape, three compartments and two wings. The roof is covered with yin and yang tiles, each tile is printed with images of folk activities. Such as chickens, bunches of rice, buffalo boy, etc . They look very lively.
With its typical values in architecture and culture, on April 14, 2011, Huynh Phu ancient house was ranked as a National Architectural and Artistic Relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
3. History of the formation of Huynh Phu ancient house
The owner of the house is Mr. Huynh Ngoc Khiem, also known as Huong Liem. According to the 6th generation grandson of the owner of the house, he was originally from Hue but went to the South with his wife and nine children to make a living. When he reached the edge of Ham Luong river, the boat’s oar broke twice in a row.
Not only that, in such a wild and deserted mountain forest. He also heard two lullabies: “Dry trees are watered, but they also dry. Poor people go to any place and are also poor”. When combining those things, the old man thought that God had sent him here to make a living and decided to go ashore with his wife, settling on this land.
In the past, this place was only a forest and he had nothing. Thanks to hard work, he became rich. In addition to the land he cleared himself, he also bought land from poor farmers so that in the end he had a huge fortune, nearly 2,000 acres of land.
The government at that time appointed him to the position of district chief. Being rich, he thought of building a business for himself. He returned to Hue to recruit workers and buy materials. He combined many types of precious wood into rafts and floated them down the river to Thanh Phu. After 14 years of construction, in 1904, people completed this house with bold Hue-style architecture.
4. The story of the construction of Huynh Phu ancient house
Because of the time building houses reach 14 years, there are many stories passed by mouth from villagers still today. At that time, the group of carpenters and builders built the house for a long time they were still young. And when they were older the house didn’t still finish. So Mr Huong Liem cared for getting married and setting up work in this land. Or the story of the builders ate pomelo, threw the seed into the garden, until the pomelo tree grew and gave fruits, the house didn’t finish, etc.
5. When is the best time to visit Huynh Phu ancient house?
Huynh Phu ancient house is located in Ben Tre province, it belongs to the equatorial tropical monsoon climate. When traveling here, you will feel that there are two distinct seasons:
- Rainy season: lasts from May to November.
- Dry season: from December to April next year.
According to the travel experience of Ben Tre of tourists who have been here. The ideal time to travel to Huynh Phu ancient house is from December to April next year. During this time, the air is fresh and cool, the weather is sunny and there is little rain. It creates favorable conditions for traveling and visiting this ancient house.
In addition, this is an indoor tourist attraction. Therefore, you can visit Huynh Phu ancient house at any time. You just need to pay attention to the weather before departure.
6. How to get to Huynh Phu ancient house?
With a distance not too far from Ben Tre city. Moreover, the traffic infrastructure here is also quite convenient. Therefore, you can easily travel from Ben Tre city to Huynh Phu ancient house by means of transport. Such as: motorbike, bus, private car or taxi.
Starting from the city center, you move along the routes. Such as: Dong Khoi Avenue, National Highway QL60, National Highway QL57 about 40 km to the Southeast, you will meet an intersection with HL24 road. From here, turn left onto HL24 road and move along this road about 2 km to the North to reach Huynh Phu ancient house. You cannot miss it because it is located right on HL24 road.
7. Discovering the unique architecture of Huynh Phu ancient house
Huynh Phu house has a strong traditional Hue architectural style, standing out with its cross-section structure. They built this house with three levels, tiled with Chinese bricks, in a rectangular shape. It includes three main rooms and two small rooms at the gable end. The large worship room is a sacred place for worshiping Buddha, ancestors and is also a common living space.
The house was built on an area of over 500m2, about 17m wide, 25m long. This project makes a strong impression with a system of 48 sturdy ironwood and rosewood columns and 32 cement columns. When you step inside, you are easily attracted by the sophisticated carvings on the system of columns, beams and rafters. Each detail is meticulously carved, clearly showing the talent of ancient artisans.
8. Rare artifacts remaining in Huynh Phu ancient house
Inside the house is a set of marble sofas imported from France. In 1980, it was offered 40 taels of gold but the owner still did not sell it. In addition, there are some sets of wooden beds, bronze incense burners, etc. that have been preserved by generations of descendants for many generations.
According to the current owner, visitors like to see the couplets the most when visiting the house. And the animals and flower branches on the precious wood panels are carved and engraved very elaborately. However, after a long time and historical events, many valuable antiques in the house have been lost.
9. Patterns and sculptures in Huynh Phu ancient house
Huynh Phu ancient house is not only a house, but also a work of sculpture. The truss system and trusses are elaborately carved. From the carved lines on the roof tiles to the house pillars, everything is meticulously cared for.
The roof is covered with yin-yang tiles, especially the thi tile layer is decorated with extremely beautiful patterns on the underside. It creates a gentle, delicate beauty. However, a storm in 2006 damaged most of the roof tiles, forcing the family to replace them, although some of the tiles were kept as souvenirs.
Another unique feature is the wooden parallel sentences in the house. They made these parallel sentences from large tree trunks, hollowed out to hug the pillars, creating a sturdy and luxurious look. The parallel sentences are carved with images of daily life and symbols such as fishermen, woodcutters, farmers, herons, etc. Other sculptures also evoke the rural life of Southern Vietnam with crabs, shrimps, fish, storks, unicorns, phoenixes and local fruits.
The plasterwork on the front wall of the house also has two layers. The front is filled with familiar products, the back is carved with a honeycomb canopy. The ancestral altar is the most prominent place with embossed wooden panels, painted with red and gilded paint, showing solemnity but not too ostentatiousness. The artisans who built the house were paid not by the day, but by the volume of wood shavings, demonstrating the meticulous labor.
10. Cultural and historical value of Huynh Phu ancient house
Huynh Phu ancient house is not only a place to live, but also a symbol of the history and culture of the poetic land of Ben Tre. Although it has gone through more than a century with many events, the house still retains its unique identity, becoming the pride of the local people. The grandchildren of Mr. Huong Liem still live here. They are always proud to tell the story of the Huynh family – one of the pioneering families to explore the Southwest Coast of Vietnam more than 100 years ago.
With its typical architectural and cultural values. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ranked Huynh Phu ancient house as a National Architectural and Artistic Monument on April 14, 2011. This is an official recognition of the significance of this house, not only in the local cultural context, but also in the national culture.
11. Some experiences when visiting Huynh Phu ancient house
When visiting Huynh Phu ancient house, you will not only admire the unique architecture here. But you also have the opportunity to listen to touching historical stories from the owner’s family. Each item, each carving in the house has meaning, is a testament to a golden age of the Huynh family in the South. Especially when standing in front of the ancestral altar with sophisticated carvings. You will feel the filial piety of descendants, the respect and gratitude for the ancestors’ contributions.
For those who love to explore culture and history, Huynh Phu ancient house in Ben Tre will be an unforgettable experience. Not only does it bring a true look at the life of ancient people. But this place also evokes love for the homeland and pride in traditional cultural values.
12. Enjoying Ben Tre specialties when visiting Huynh Phu ancient house
When traveling to Huynh Phu ancient house, you will enjoy the wonderful flavors of many delicious rustic dishes. Such as: Braised Goby fish in cononut water, braised duck, grilled eel with scallion oil, grilled snakehead fish. Or coconut rice, braised fish in clay pot, coconut worms, fish sauce with pork belly, My Long rice paper.
13. Accommodation when visiting Huynh Phu ancient house
Huynh Phu ancient house is a day trip destination. Therefore, after visiting and experiencing a series of interesting activities here. You can return to Ben Tre city to relax and stay overnight. Here are some accommodations you can refer to:
- Mango Home Riverside. Address: My Thanh, Giong Trom, Ben Tre.
- Dong Khoi Hotel. Address: 16 Hai Ba Trung, Ward 2, Ben Tre City, Ben Tre.
- Dai Phuc Hotel. Address: 1K Nguyen Thi Dinh, Phu Khuong, Ben Tre City, Ben Tre.
- Phuong Hoang Hotel. Address: 28 Hai Ba Trung, Ben Tre City, Ben Tre.
- Quoc Phuong Riverside Homestay. Address: Phu Tuc, Chau Thanh, Ben Tre.
- Cocoland Hometay. Address: Group 3, Phuoc Hoa Hamlet, Thanh Trieu, Chau Thanh, Ben Tre.
- Charming Countryside Homestay. Address: 208D Hamlet 4, Nhon Thanh, Ben Tre City, Ben Tre.
- Ben Tre Garden Farmstay. Address: Group 10, Phuoc Xuan Hamlet, Chau Thanh, Ben Tre.
Huynh Phu ancient house is one of the typical architectural works of the Southwest region of Vietnam. It is a valuable historical relic that every local is proud of. Join Origin Vietnam – a professional tour operator. We will take you to visit this ancient house on the Mekong Delta tour. You will have the opportunity to relive the old days, listen to the story of the Huynh family and explore the exquisite architectural beauty of the house.
