Beautiful ancient villages around Hanoi

Not only the beautiful natures but also the richness of culture, friendly people and the beauty of idyllic villages allure tourists in the world come to visit Vietnam.
We recommend some of the best ones as they are in a short distance from the capital center, tourists could easily access to these ancient villages. 

Duong Lam Village
Cuu village
Nom village - Hung Yen
Cu Da Village

♦ Duong Lam Village

Duong Lam is an ancient village with many old roof houses over 300 years old.
It attracts visitors with the brick roads, unique laterite walls, wells, courtyards, and majestic temples. Moreover, there are two temples of Phung Hung and Ngo Quyen, two heroic Kings of Vietnam who won the victory against invaders under Duong Dynasty, built by local people to honor them.

It brings us back to the peaceful space in the last century. Antique features are performed in the old walls, paved slate passage and the firm ancient entrances built from blocks of laterite in a special shape with sophisticated decoration details in soft lines. In front of mandarin’s houses are often doors with dragon-shaped patterns or contemporary designs.

The highlight of this village is the simple and rustic Mong Phu gate with the two row of green trees on the road.  Visitors should go sight-seeing in the Mong Phu communal house, 3 or 4 ancient houses, churches, Giang Van Minh temple and Mia pagoda. You can have lunch at some restaurants nearby the gate or order the meals of locals. Duong Lam ancient village located in Son Tay town, about 44km away from Hanoi capital, still retains the ancient and primitive features of the village of the Northern Delta; from village gates, wells to ancient houses.

Duong Lam village in Hanoi​

Take a journey deeply inside the village, visitors can have chances to see ancient tile roof over 300 years, laterite walls, long- existed red brick roads and 956 traditional houses, many of which were built in 17th century. Besides, Phung Hung Temple and Ngo Quyen Tomb are also two indispensable destinations for visitors when visiting Duong Lam old village.

 It is not too difficult for travelers to explore the entire village of Duong Lam in a weekend. You can walk or rent bikes from the local people here for only VND20,000 -30,000.

 Duong Lam is also famous for its tradition soy sauce and grilled pork with galangal. Especially the sauce satisfies appetite of many tourists by its fragrance and taste.

In addition, some popular dishes tourists should enjoy are boiled chicken, fried gourd loofah, boiled spinach served with Mong Phu sauce, Doi candy, Te cake and Gai cake.
 

♦ Cuu village

Cuu village is located in Van Tu commune, Phu Xuyen district, 40 km far from Hanoi’s center in the South. It is also called Tay village due to its distinctive architecture which makes it more special and beautiful in comparison with other old Northern villages. But in detail, Cuu village has a pure characteristic of an East Asian village, with exquisite decorations and simplicity, soaring and free style. With the light influence of Western decoration style, the pure beauty of Vietnamese culture is honored. This perfect mixture is still retained up to now.

Cuu village, with the age of over 500 years, on the banks of the Nhue River, has witnessed ups and downs history of our country.

The gate of Cuu village is built with 3 doors like design of a pagoda. The middle one has a large dome. On the above, a pair of unicorns and 2 dogs made of stone. Inside the door is the wine, the flower buds, and the faded Nho letters in black. Therefore, it is considered as as the most beautiful village gate in Vietnam.

Beautiful ancient gate in Cuu village

Cuu village is famous for its villas with a mixture of ancient Vietnamese and French architecture. During the French colonial period, many families here became rich and built private villas. Over time, many houses have been degraded, now only more than 20 villas in the village are still valuable.

Most of the villas here are influenced with Gothic design, the typical of French architecture. However, many houses with Vietnamese style with red tile roofs, winding village roads, many alleys ...

Unlike Duong Lam village, Cuu village has been exhausted by tourism, therefore it still neglected with underdeveloped services.
 

♦ Nom village - Hung Yen

Nom village is over 200 years old with the majestic posture and nostalgic characteristics of the North such as banyan tree, river, communal yard and the rustic roof tiles…

Most of communal houses, pagodas, pillars, and 200 years old wells here are preserved. Especially, the old houses and houses of ancestral altars along the lake show long-lasting historic features and the unique ancient culture of Vietnam.

Stone Bridge in ancient Nom Village

♦ Cu Da Village

Cu Da Village in Cu Khe Commune, Thanh Oai District, just 20km from the center of Hanoi, is near Nhue River. It is an ideal destination in Hanoi where anyone who has a passion for architecture, Vietnamese history, traditional craft villages or wants to find a peaceful space at the weekends.

Special architectural features of the centuries-old houses in Cu Da is a combination of ancient and modern style. Most of these villas were skillfully carved, decorated with French flowers pattern on floors or columns.

Ancient wall in Cu Da Village

Cu Da Village is also one of some places where ancient features like banyan trees, communal houses, pagodas, village gates, moss houses...are still remained till now. Many its works are considered National relics. The ancient clock on the gate of the village marks the flourishing period of the village in the past.

Visitors are easily to buy local traditional food as gifts for relatives and friends such as vermicelli and soy sauce. It’s so famous that everyone knows the sentence "Cu Da soy sauce – Dam Village’ eggplants". The image of soy sauce jars dried under the sun on the yard and bundles of golden vermicelli on the fields is unique features which can’t be found in any places.