Unique Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village in Tien Giang
Cai Be - Tien Giang has long been known to many people as a land of rich
fruit trees, with a very developed type of garden eco-tourism associated
with the Floating Market and the ancient village of Dong Hoa Hiep,
attracting a large number of tourists.
Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village is located in Dong Hoa Hiep commune, Cai Be
district, Tien Giang province, located in the lower Mekong River. From My
Tho city, you can travel along National Highway 1A to Cai Be intersection,
turn onto Provincial Road 875 about 4 km to Cai Be town center, go another 2
km to bridge number 2, you will see signs to the ancient houses: Ba Duc, Ong
Xoat, Ong Tong...
Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village has a total of 7 hamlets, with nearly 4,000
households, living mainly on fruit gardens of all kinds: Hoa Loc mango,
orange, green-skinned grapefruit, longan, Vinh Kim star apple... and
traditional crafts such as: Com village, rice paper making, milk puff
rolling...
According to historical documents, in the 18th century, in 1732, Lord Nguyen
established a new unit in Phien Tran palace, Long Ho palace, and chose An
Binh Dong village, Dong Hoa Hiep commune today, as the headquarters of Long
Ho palace. In 1757, the headquarters moved to Long Ho village, Vinh Long
city, Vinh Long province today. During the 25 years as the headquarters of
Long Ho palace (1732-1757), Dong Hoa Hiep village gathered many mandarins
and big landlords, making this land prosperous.
From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, many houses were built
with precious woods and tiled roofs, tall and wide in both Eastern and
Western architecture, hidden by rivers and cool orchards, contributing to
creating an architectural appearance and landscape that stands out from
other localities.
Along with Duong Lam village in Hanoi and Phuoc Tich village in Hue, Dong
Hoa Hiep village is one of three ancient villages in Vietnam that have been
selected by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to implement the Project "Supporting
the Promotion of the Role of the Community in Sustainable Development in
Vietnam, Through Heritage Tourism".
The road surrounding the village is shaded by green trees, with people
growing flowers and vegetables on both sides, creating the soul of the
countryside. That rustic beauty, combined with the poetic beauty of the Cai
Be River and the canals winding in front of the ancient houses, makes this
place even more attractive to international tourists to visit and experience
the life of the people in the Tien Giang river region.
The first impression when visitors set foot here is the image of ancient
houses bearing the bold architectural features of Southern garden houses
dating back over 150 years. The ancient houses here are not located close
together like in some other ancient villages but are interspersed with lush
fruit gardens, creating a poetic beauty that attracts visitors. The ancient
houses in Dong Hoa Hiep are scattered in An Binh Dong hamlet, Phu Hoa
hamlet, An Loi hamlet, An Thanh hamlet... Some hamlets are connected to each
other like a chessboard area, within a radius of about 2km, so visitors only
need a bicycle or walk to go around the village...
First is the old house of Mr. Xoat (An Thach hamlet). This is the oldest old
house in Dong Hoa Hiep, built in 1818, now 200 years old. Although the
outside of the house has Western architecture, the inside has the appearance
of a Hue traditional house combined with the architecture of a Southern folk
house. Currently, the 6th generation descendants are living in the house.
Not as quiet as Mr. Xoat's old house, Mr. Kiet's old house (Phu Hoa hamlet)
has many people coming and going, the children and grandchildren living in
the house are also more crowded, full of the breath of life.
This house bears the mark of an ancient village in the Northern Delta with 5
rooms and 3 wings and many columns and rafters made of precious wood...,
built in 1838. The house still preserves many precious antiques such as: a
set of parallel sentences inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a set of tables and
chairs with delicate patterns, porcelain items... known as the "nine great
beauties" of Vietnam.
Located on an area of over 20,000m˛ and surrounded by a year-round fruit
garden, Mr. Phan Van Duc's ancient house has an architectural style that
harmoniously combines Southern and French culture.
The house was built in 1850, on a foundation 0.5m above ground, consisting
of two houses, the front house and the back house, separated by a Thien Tinh
courtyard (skylight). Currently, the house still preserves many precious and
beautiful items, showing the luxurious and elegant hobby of wealthy families
in the South in the past. In addition to the fruit garden that visitors can
visit and enjoy, in front of the house there are also beautiful flower pots
and bonsai trees. Even more poetic and lovely is the ferry dock in front of
the house, convenient for visitors to visit by water, with bougainvillea
blooming all year round.
There are many other ancient houses in the village. Each house has its own
mark. Mr. Tong’s ancient house is hidden behind a fence of bright yellow
trumpet vine flowers and in front of the house are many old apricot trees
bearing the cultural identity of the Southern river region. Mr. Vo’s ancient
house has a dark brown tiled roof, shiny black sofas bearing the color of
time…
If you want to experience resting and eating in an ancient house, you can
contact Mr. Kiet's family, Mr. Vo's family, Mr. Ba Duc's family... These
ancient houses all have homestay tourism services. Visitors can experience
daily activities with the locals: participating in making green rice flakes,
making rice paper, rolling milk puffs, taking care of the fruit garden,
going to Cai Be floating market , catching fish in the ditch; listening to
traditional music; ...
Currently, Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village has 7 ancient houses built from 150
to 220 years ago and 29 houses built from 80 to 100 years ago. With its
great cultural and architectural values, Dong Hoa Hiep ancient village was
honored to be recognized as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism in 2017.
Along with the ancient houses and lush green gardens, the people of Dong Hoa
Hiep also preserve and promote the value of a simple lifestyle, creating a
form of community tourism with its own identity. Traveling to Tien Giang,
coming to the ancient village, visitors will feel the hospitality and
honesty of the people of the Southwest region.
Since 2013, the Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Tourism Festival has been
invested in and since then, the Festival has been held regularly every two
years, with many activities bearing traditional and folk cultural
identities, attracting a large number of visitors.
Over the years, with an ever-developing team of highly qualified,
enthusiastic, and professionally trained staff, along with experienced tour
guides, Vietnam Impressive Travel
contributes significantly to the resort and tourism services in Vietnam.