Old Hanoi house to be preserved as tourist site

Hanoi authorities have decided to preserve an old house at 11 Hang Bac Street, in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District, as a tourist site. Amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, the house looks like a small oasis, bringing passers by feelings of peace and tranquility.
The house is owned by Pham Ngoc Giao, eldest son of 98-year-old woman Pham Thi Te. His family bought the house in 1945.
The house exhibits harmony between Vietnamese décor and French architecture. Striking amid greenness of mature trees is the red-tiled roof, curved in the style of the traditional Vietnamese pagoda. Large pillars, many windows and separated rooms make people think of old houses in Paris.
The house has two storeys and has about 200 square meters of floor-space. It is in a poetic 180-square-meter garden with flowers, mature ornamental trees and clusters of bamboo. Paths in the garden are shaded by lines of areca and small bamboo trees, arousing in people peaceful images of the countryside.
Through ups and downs of history for nearly a century, the house has kept its old decorations and some wooden tables and chairs and paintings.
The house, particularly with the garden, has gained much attention and high evaluation from local and foreign experts. It has been listed in the book “The 36 guild streets area in Hanoi’s Ancient Quarter”, by Japanese experts.
After preservation, the house will be developed as a tourist destination for city tours in Hanoi. The site is expected to give visitors a glimpse of old Vietnamese architecture and culture, as well as to give tourists a space of stillness and peace, escaping from the bustle of urban life.