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Mui Ne’s original ancient house collection
Visitors to Mui Ne can not only enjoy sublime beaches and golden sand dunes, they can also explore Lang Co Mui Ne (Ancient Mui Ne Village), a splendid combination of ancient Vietnamese houses from all over the country.
Only seven kilometers from the center of the Phan Thiet beach town in central Binh Thuan Province, the 40,000 square-meter village nestles amongst the betel palms and tamarind trees on Nguyen Thong Street, the main road that leads to Mui Ne.
The village comprises eight ancient houses built in the distinctive styles of Vietnam’s different regions.
Each house, worth several billion Vietnamese dong, is at least a hundred years old.
They are set in idyllic, serene surroundings, reminiscent of the countryside of the olden days.
Bui Van Giao built this magnificent village three years ago after searching all over the country for these historic houses.
He had them moved to the village and restored in keeping with their original style.
One of the houses is a nha ruong, a typical style from the former feudal capital of Hue in the central region.
The 120-year-old house, which cost more than VND1 billion (US$62,500), has exquisitely carved wooden beams and pillars which are made with mortise and tenon joints rather than nails.
Its former owner, a mandarin under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), built the house after he resigned from the court.
Giao also bought and renovated ancient houses in Binh Thuan, Nha Trang, Binh Dinh, Quang Tri and southern Tay Ninh provinces.
Each type of houses has distinct architectural features.
Houses in the central region are low-roofed and well ventilated, giving perfect shelter from the sultry weather.
Meanwhile, houses from the south, where the weather is more auspicious, are high-roofed, more spacious with more pillars.
Connoisseurs of old houses will also be impressed by the antiques displayed in the houses, such as suits of armor that Nguyen kings and lords wore when hunting, gongs of the Ba Na and E De ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands and famous Bat Trang ceramic vases from the 18th century.
An antique phan lien (a wooden bed with one or two planks attached to two horse-shaped ends) which is 30 centimeters thick and almost 2 meters wide is also on show.
Trees with such a large trunks are rarely found today.
The village owner traveled as far as northern Hoa Binh and Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands to buy stilt-houses built by Thai, E De, K’Ho, M’Nong ethnic people.
The complex also includes houses thatched with prehistoric working tools, a reminder of the country’s early civilization.
Visitors can stroll along the narrow paths that wind around the houses between luxuriant banana and betel trees and lotus ponds.
They can enjoy the cool sea breezes, contemplate the picturesque landscape and dine on seafood and traditional Vietnamese delicacies.
Tourists will be fascinated to see waitresses in traditional costumes pounding rice, grinding flour and making traditional cakes.
“Many Vietnamese expatriates were overwhelmed by the familiar rural scenery after years living away from their home country,” one of the village employees said.
The village is also many foreigners’ favorite choice.
“I was surprised when I first came here,” a Russian tourist said.
“The village, which exudes Oriental beauty, helps me visualize Vietnam’s countryside in the old days.”
The village owner is planning to expand the complex with 50 more rooms
Source ThanhnienNews
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