Nom village and the beautiful Vietnamese countryside

Only more than 30km from Hanoi, you will be pleasantly surprised to find yourself in a village over 200 years old with its many traces of the past. Nom village can be seen as a nice interlude in the suburbs where it is good to walk while discovering the soul of a typical Vietnamese countryside.

As you cross the red brick path, behind the shaded bamboo trees, you will see the mossy doorway marking the entrance to the village, a familiar image of any countryside in the Northern plains. Despite parts of it decaying, beautiful patterns of its architecture of long ago are still quite remarkable.

A few steps later, a very calm and peaceful village setting opens up as if it has always been there. It is a huge wooded pond where, in summer, the elderly meet at noon and the kids have fun at the end of the day. Surrounded by old buildings and centuries-old trees, this airy corner is not only a place of rest and entertainment but also a friendly community space. On its two sides throne many houses of worship to the ancestors of families which are characterised by traditional architecture. These dwellings bear the mark of a certain period of ease when the bronze founders of the Nom village indulged in labour under the shade of the banana tree.

To the east stands a stone bridge that spans the Nguyet Duc River, connecting the rest of the village and the Nom market and the Nom pagoda. This nine-span bridge is a valuable holdover as being the oldest of its kind in the North. Composed of large blocks and stone columns, it is remarkable for its beautiful dragon sculptures engraved on each span.

The Nom Pagoda (Linh Thong Pagoda)

The Nom pagoda is worth discovering for its particular charm and especially for its treasure of ancient statues. Also called “Linh Thong”, the pagoda is the only one in the country to have a record number of 122 clay statues dating back several centuries. Built in 1680 under the Le posterior dynasty, following the ravages of natural disasters, this building has been rebuilt several times while its sacred statues remain almost intact.

In a green and tranquil setting, visitors will have the pleasure of admiring the astonishingly beautiful works of clay, each with its own character reflecting the great Eastern philosophies.

The Nom Market

Very close to the pagoda, the Nom market witnesses the attachment to the ancestral way of life where activities come to life in old brick buildings, on the days that end with numbers 1, 4, 6, 9. This place was, in the memory of the inhabitants, a high place of exchange for the bronze businesses in the region.

Tam Giang Communal house

An important religious relic of Nom village is the communal house of Tam Giang which is dedicated to a hero whose role was decisive in the victory against the enemies of the Tong. Together with the Name Pagoda, the Tam Giang Communal House was recognized as a national vestige in 1994.

A house dates back more than 200 years in Nom village which houses about ten old inhabited houses

In the Vietnamese countryside, a traditional house typically has three or five bays with a pond in front, a garden behind, a corner for pets and a surrounding fence. Just half an hour's drive from Hanoi, Nom village is a pleasant stop to experience distant times where there’s a great serene rhythm with everyday life.

Location:

About 30 km from Hanoi, Dai Dong commune, Van Lam district, Hung Yen province

Accessibility:

Departing from Hanoi, take National Road 5. After about 20 km turn left and then you will come to Nom village only 10 km away.

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