Located by the Nhue River, 15km west of Ha Noi, the traditional village of Cu Da is known for its soya sauce and glass noodles.
The suburban village has been attracting an increasing range of tourists in recent years, not just for its native specialities, however its ancient homes that mirror each the architectural and cultural values of the northern rural region.
Home to over one hundred wood homes, the village could be a well-liked tourist attraction for folks in search of a glimpse of the past.
Most of the tiled homes, that are many years recent, were designed from go xoan (bead tree or Chinaberry tree).
The houses kind a fancy within the typical ancient architectural type of the Hong (Red) River Delta region.
A main house includes an ancestral altar, a group of wood couches and a tea table. within the wings of the house are bedrooms for the owner and his eldest son. the opposite house is employed for the women’s living quarters.
The outbuildings are smaller than the most house and used as kitchens and dining rooms, and for storage.
The traditional house of Trinh The Sung in Dong Nhan Cat Hamlet is taken into account the foremost lovely and untouched of its kind.
Built in 1864, the house consists of thirty five wood pillars, adorned in intricate carvings.
“The house has maintained its original structure since I started living here once marrying my late husband sixty eight years ago,” said Sung’s mother, Dinh Thi Khuyen, 85.
With the same architectural vogue, the 360sq.m house of Dinh Van Du within the same hamlet welcomes several guests. in step with the owner, six generations of his family have lived within the 200-year-old house.
The typical design of the northern rural space can even be found within the archways leading into the village’s twelve hamlets.
“Cu Da is also Ha Noi’s solely suburban village to retain the soul of the northern countryside. I usually visit the village, that is that the birthplace of my grandmother, to require in its rural atmosphere,” said 74-year-old Hanoian Tran Ngoc Toan.
The simple fantastic thing about Cu Da in conjunction with its ancient homes are used because the setting for variety of Vietnamese movies and television series, as well as the famous Bao Gio Cho Den Thang Muoi (When the Tenth Month Comes), and also the recent Leu Chong (Going to Royal Exam).
Although founded 800 years ago, the village extremely flourished from 1890 to 1945.
With the advantage of a riverside location, the village was home to successful businessmen, who spared no expense on their living conditions.
In 1929, Cu Da became the primary village within the country to possess electricity.
The proof of that superb amount conjointly includes a flag tower that was inbuilt a similar year, the ornate archway leading into the village that includes an oversized clock – an indication of the affluent times, and also the brick roads resulting in each corner of the village.
The village isn’t solely home to ancient homes, however conjointly fashionable colonial French villas, over twenty of which may be found across the village.
Among the French villas, the estate of Trinh Thi Hong in Ba Gang Hamlet is taken into account the foremost lovely. The two-storey house still retains the majority of its original options, as well as flowery motifs, a wrought iron balcony, tiled floors and a wood staircase that mix to form an intriguing mixture of French and Vietnamese designs.
However, in step with Vu Van Bang, head of the Cu Khe District’s Cultural Division, the quantity of ancient homes is decreasing because the passage of your time takes its toll. several are currently nothing over shells whereas others have sustained serious injury.
Urbanisation has conjointly had a negative result on the village in recent years. In some people’s opinion, the standard home is not match to accommodate a modern-day family. “That’s why several families within the village demolish their recent homes to form means for brand new, multi-storey concrete homes. it’s of grave concern to native authorities still because the those who need to preserve ancient cultural price,” Bang said.
Fortunately, the matter has attracted the eye of native media, serving to raise awareness among villagers of the importance of preserving their homes.
Dinh Van Truong, the owner of a seriously broken French villa, said he refused to interchange his rickety house with a replacement building. “My sons and that i can repair the house, and hopefully, several generations of our family can live to fancy it.”
