Vietnam’s Ancient Duong Lam Village Faces Threat of Decay

via Vietnam Express, 09 December 2023: Duong Lam, a historic Northern Vietnamese village near Hanoi, recognized as a national historical and cultural relic, is facing the risk of ruin due to a lack of restoration funding. The village, known for its enchanting historical and cultural features, including 956 antiquated houses, is deteriorating. Despite regulations providing a small monthly stipend for the preservation of officially categorized historic houses, many homes are not on the preservation list and are in poor condition.

About 45 kilometers west of downtown Hanoi, Duong Lam Village in Son Tay Town has maintained many of its enchanting historical and cultural features. It boasts 956 houses from antiquity, including those built in 1649, 1703 and around 1850.

In 2006, Duong Lam became the first village recognized by the government as a national historical and cultural relic.

As one of the oldest cultural sites in Vietnam, Duong Lam still boasts many typical features of traditional Red River Delta villages: banyan trees, wells, a communal house, temples, and a village gate.

According to existing regulations, only houses officially categorized within these classifications are eligible for state-supported restoration. Owners of historic and culturally significant properties are granted VND400,000 (US$16.42) a month to maintain the houses in their most original form.

Source: Hanoi’s centuries-old village faces ruin without restoration funding – VnExpress International