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After two days in Hue we moved to
Phuoc Tich ancient village, 40km north
of Hue, to enjoy a homestay in a Nha
Ruong traditional house. After an hour’s
drive from the city we walked though
jackfruit trees laden with fruit and rows
of areca palms and bamboo alongside
the O Lau River.
Set amongst these luxuriant gar-
dens are brown-tiled roof houses that
date back hundreds of years. Phuoc Tich
village was founded in 1470 by Hoang
Minh Hung, a marquis under the reign
of Emperor Le Thanh Tong and at that
time was called Con Duong, serving as a
sanctuary for local Cham villagers.
The setting is utterly enchanting. A
500-year-old Chinese fig tree, a temple
worshipping Confucius and a twin tow-
er honouring Hoang Minh Hung and
the founder of Cham pottery are testa-
ment to the village’s heritage.
The village was renamed Phuoc Gi-
ang before it took its present name un-
der the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th cen-
tury. There are 24 ancient houses, the
oldest of which was built in the 1850s.
All of the houses were built 3.5
metres above sea level to minimise
damage caused by annual flooding that
plagues central Vietnam and are sur-
rounded by gardens and orchards.
There are also ancient relics and
remnants of communal houses, pago-
das, temples, family ancestor worship
houses, wells and pottery kilns.
The village is as old as Hue but
has not enjoyed as much limelight and
preservation over the years. The village
is considered typical of a Vietnamese
village in north-central Vietnam, with
open-structured houses set within gar-
dens. The number of ancient houses is
not high, but those that remain are the
oldest domestic houses in the province.
The village features nha ruong -
houses built with wooden girders, pil-
lars and beams. There are also nha
vuong - wooden houses built in a
square shape. Both styles feature artful-
ly carved wooden pillars held together
with wooden pegs so they can be easily
dismantled.
The houses are invariably made of
good quality and long-lasting wood.
Beams in Phuoc Tich were mainly made
out of jackfruit wood. One can see lively
decorations and meticulous carvings on
some frames. Most parts are not dam-
aged, despite the time that has passed
and the wars that have been waged
around them.