Housing the soul of an era

      The owners of beautiful old southern houses are finding it extremely expensive to maintain the relics. Thien Ly outlines their problems.
On a large moss-covered yard, 83-year-old Duong The Hien sweeps the last of the yellow leaves with care, as though he does not want to hurt the bricks of his ancestors’ house.
Hien’s care belies the decline the house has suffered as the wear and tear of time, historical circumstances including war and a lack of funds make maintenance and restoration difficult.
Hien is the sixth generation of the Duong family to own the Duong Family Temple in Can Tho.
The beautiful house has been the location for many films. including the famous romantic film Lover by French producer Annaud.
The Duong Family Temple, also called the Vuon Lan Binh Thuy House, is in Binh Thuy Ward in the district of the same name.
The district is home to a dozen old houses but the 130-year-old Duong Family Temple is rare being a combination of southern Vietnamese and western architecture.
"Ancient houses and villages are always the pride of the Can Tho people. It is for their charm that hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists visit the city every year. The Duong Family Temple is one such house," said Tran Thi Ngoc Nga, deputy director of the Can Tho Culture, Sports and Tourism Department.
The five-compartment house, built in the late 19th century, but remains in decent shape compared to other old houses. Built in the traditional square pattern, it covers about 6,000sq.m.
In the middle of a large yard paved with Chinese bricks is a big rock garden with many potted plants.
On one side of the house is an orchid garden with nearly 100 plants. A Mexican cactus stands 8m on the other side. Behind the house is a large orchard, fish pond and rice fields.
"The house, including all the joints in the rafters, was not built using cement but duoc glue and does not have a single nail.
All were made by skilled craftsmen who used precious timbers that was red-lacquered and gilded or encrusted with fine carvings depicting life on water and trees and fruits of the Southwest," Hien said.
The main house has six rows of 24 ironwood pillars. The anterooms were built and decorated in Western style with decorated ceilings and luxurious furnishings, including embroidered pictures. Beyond that is the main room, designed in southern Vietnamese style and used for worshipping ancestors.
The two rooms are separated by a balustrade that connects the ironwood pillars in front of the altar. The balustrade is the most unusual aspect of the house as the vignettes on it don’t contain any classic Chinese references. Instead, they all represent daily life of the common people: crabs, chicken, bamboo branches, a clump of trees, and even bitter melons.
One feels the craftsmen were inspired to capture and glorify the peaceful ambience of rural areas in the southern provinces.
"This is the biggest ancient house that my husband and I have seen during our two-week trip across Viet Nam. Its Vietnamese-Western architecture as well as its decorations are unique and impressive.
They are also quite different from those seen in ancient houses in Hoi An," said Margot Theunisse, a visitor from the Netherlands.
Another place to see old houses is Tan Loc Isle, about 40km from downtown Can Tho. An antique house retaining its original architectural style is that of Tran Ba The.
The’s house sports a combination of ancient Vietnames French architectural style. It has 40cm thick walls, a five-stair terrace and a roof covered with hook tiles. A roofed bridge connects the main house with its annex. The domes of windows and doors are decorated with simple patterns, while those adorning the ornamented ceilings are sophisticated.
Large bonsais and French-style benches that have stood in the yard in front of the house for more than a century enhance its beauty.
The, 88, said his father built the house in 1935, when he worked as a minor mandarin in the area.
Wear and tear
"When compared with many other old houses in Can Tho, our house is in much better shape, but it has deteriorated significantly, particularly in the last 10 years," Hien said.
"Rafters and pillars in the house have been attacked by termites in many places. The original gutter system was too old to use, so we had to replace it. Some parts of the house have also sunk slightly.
"For years, we have tried to maintain the house using money raised from relatives and visitors. However, we have only been able to preserve the main place of worship to the optimum level," Hien said.
The narrates a similar predicament. "Generally, my entire house is in a rather good state, particularly the main room. However, bedrooms and the annex have deteriorated.
"To keep the house as it looks today, we have had to make a great deal of effort. There was a time when my 14-member family could not earn enough to eat, but we did not dare sell anything from the house," he said.
He expressed his pain and grief at seeing his ancestor’s house degrade day after day, helpless to do anything but care for it diligently.
About 50m from The’s house is a villa in ruins. It has nearly collapsed and is overgrown with reeds and canes, but the villa, which is purely French architecturally, still looks beautiful.
Phan Thi Chin, 68, who lives in the villa’s annex, said the house was built in 1912 and was deserted for 30 years after the owner left to live abroad.
"Because no one lived in it, the house deteriorated quickly; now it is in such a bad state it would be hard to restore it," Chin said.
Many old houses and their owners in Can Tho are facing a tough fight against the advance of time.
Only four out of a row of 18 ancient houses on Phan Dinh Phung Street still remain. Five old houses on Bui Huu Nghia Street, four houses belonging to the La family, and "Mr Cau’s Garden" – Can Tho’s first eco-tourism site – have almost disappeared.
Preservation struggle
Residents of Binh Thuy Village and lovers of old houses had cause for cheer last March, when it was announced the Vuon Lan Binh Thuy House had been recognised as a National Architectural Relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism.
"The event is of a great significance, since the value of the Vuon Lan Binh Thuy ancient house has been recognised. But more importantly, it promises a better future for the house and other old ones in the city, many of which are in urgent need of preservation," said Huynh Dinh Chung, director of the Can Tho Museum.
"Like many other Can Tho residents, I know it is the ancient houses and ancient villages along the legendary Mekong River that draw tourists from far and near to this Delta city since they symbolise the art, culture, and history of our country and people. However, preservation is not an easy task."
He said the city has 72 houses built since the late 19th century.
Many have been maintained reasonably well by their owners, with some having parts of their structure changed, while a few have deteriorated badly, he said.
The money needed to preserve old houses is beyond the capacity of most owners, he said.
He felt the biggest obstacle facing conservation work is that most of the old architectural works in the city are still under the ownership and management of families, which means authorised agencies find it difficult to step in.
Meanwhile, many house owners have a poor understanding of heritage-preservation regulations, Chung said.
A lack of materials that can be used to repair deteriorating old houses is another big problem.
"In addition, the government has not yet come up with any financial support policies to help owners of old houses preserve the relics.
"While waiting for an official restoration plan from the local administration, we have encouraged owners to co-operate with tourism companies to create conditions to preserve the old houses," Chung said.
A spate of preservation measures are being considered by the authorities, said Tran Thi Ngoc Nga of the city’s culture department.
"The first task is to list the old houses in the locality and investigate their state.
"Based on the data, we will draw up a specific preservation plan for each house," she said.
Houses recognised as national architectural relics will receive financial and technical support from the Government for restoration and preservation, while low-interest loans will be provided in other cases.
"Improving people’s awareness of the importance of preserving old houses and encouraging tourism companies to participate in their restoration is also a part of the plan," Nga said.
The city museum is planning to issue certificates recognising some more old houses in the city as national, cultural, and historic relics, she said.
"Our goal is to preserve more and more old houses," Nga said.
"This is because these houses would create a special stamp for Can Tho, distinguishing it from other localities."
The ancient houses in Can Tho cast a spell over every type of resident or visitor.
They are a window into an earlier way of life, the call of home that keeps people who have moved away rooted to their native place, and clear evidence of the creativity and fine aesthetic sense of a wide cross-section of people in the southern part of the country.
In preserving them, the soul of a nation is preserved.