Duong Lam village is located in Son Tay, 40 km to the west of Hanoi. We at Vietnam Cycling offer both easy bike tours (10K) and Hanoi moderate cycling day tour (40K) to Duong Lam as well as its surrounding rural hamlets. This ancient village attracts visitors by its ancient houses and the architectural features of a typical old Vietnamese village.
Duong Lam map
Step back in time and visit this old village where the culture and architecture has been preserved intact, representing the ancient civilization of the Red River Delta. That’s why it was the first village to be recognized by the Government as “National Cultural Heritage.”
It takes about two hours driving to the east of Hanoi, there are 9 hamlets in this area including Mong Phu, Cam Thinh, Dong Sang, Doai Giap, Cam Lam Phu Khang, Ha Tan, Hung Thinh Van Mieu and that each has its own wells. The well of Mong Phu is the largest having clean water and bears the inscription “Nhất phiến băng tâm” which means “the heart of Mong Phu people is pure as ice.”
Nowadays, Duong Lam Hanoi village still conserves about 800 ancient houses. The structure of a normal ancient houses in Duong Lam includes the main gate, the garden, the yard, the main house, outbuilding, kitchen, well and livestock barn. The main house is the most important part where all the family live and worship ancestor.
The architecture of in Duong Lam ancient village is very characteristic with its quaint houses built of laterite blocks and wood, surrounded by walls. The curved roofs look like pigeon wings and tiles arranged as fish scales.
Few houses here were built from 1803 and many other were built from middle of XIX century. Around the ancient houses are the paths, green gardens with betel and areca trees. Around the village are banyan trees, village’s gate, rice fields, temple, wells. All of them combine together and make an unique ancient village with the features of ancient Vietnam, a peaceful area that is very hard to find in the modern life of the cities.
