Lying in the center of Mekong Delta, 110 kilometers far from Ho Chi Minh city to the South and 70 kilometers far from Can Tho province, Ba Duc Ecotourism and Ancient House is known as an interesting Vietnam Tours, Mekong Tours and appealing destination for all tourists at home and abroad.
The house was first built in the nineteenth century by Mr. Phan Van Dang. At that time the house wall was made of wooden boards that bound together and the front consisted of wooden bars that exactly conformed to the Southern Vietnamese traditional houses.
In 1938, Mr. Phan Van Cuong had the house reconstructed on the solid cement-made foundation, surrounded by a 3-hectare precinct full of ornamental plants and fruit trees, making the place the most beautiful one for the owner and guests to take pleasure.
The house is a harmonious combination of two architectural styles: Vietnamese and French, whose shape is unique to the colonial period. It is built in high foundation, thus protecting itself from floods during the rainy season. It is said that its contemporary houses were not generally built on that high position; this, therefore, has made the house unique and fine.
The house is divided into two distinct parts, the front and the back. Between the two lays a space called the sky-yard in order to let in sunlight which brings brightness and warmness to the house.
The front house is considered as the main house where guests and visitors are usually welcomed and where all the family’s ancestor worship activities take place. We meet a fairly wide corridor with firm handrail before entering the main door, which opens up a splendid view to the bonsai garden and the inner part of the house.
Most of funiture in the house belongs to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are arranged in a beautiful traditional way. In the middle of the house, there are four sets of pillar made of xylia xylocarpa “cam xe” - Redwood which enhances the house’s firmness and stability. Attached to pillars are Ebony wood panels on which the old Vietnamese characters that were used before nineteenth century called "Chu Nôm" inlaid with engraved mother of pearl, conveying the meaning that the family's descendants should always live for the good and compassionate to people around; this, also be considered as the most precious heritage of the family.
Three sets of worship cabinet (1924) inlaid with mother of pearl bring more luxury and shine to the house. Especially, it is a pride for the whole village to have “Royal proclamation for Deities title conferring”, which give Gods titles to protect the villagers from natural calamities, awarded by emperors: Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Tu Duc from 1820 to 1883.
The walls of the house are decorated with beautiful patterns, especially the nine murals painted on the three main walls, each represents a peaceful village surrounded by one branch of the nine-branch Mekong Delta River.
To the back is a large spaceful house which had been once used for daily activities and food storage but was seriously damaged by wars. This part of the house has been rebuilt to serve as a stopover for tourists.
The current owner of the house is Mr. Phan Van Duc who is the family’s sixth generation.
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