Cai Be district, Tien Giang province has long been famous for having dozens of old houses over a hundred years old with unique architecture. Among these, the old house of Mr. Ba Duc’s family is one of the old houses that attract many visitors because of its unique beauty combined with ancient architecture.
By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official Cai Be Visitor Guide
1. Better to Know as a Tourist
Ticket: Free
Spend-time: One hour (approx)
Hours: Dawn – Dusk
Food: Yes
Shop: Yes
Parking lot: Yes
Blog: https://vemekong.com/ba-duc-old-house-cai-be-tien-giang/
Address: 155 An Loi Hamlet, Dong Hoa Hiep Commune, Cai Be District, Tien Giang Province.
Added values: Coming here, visitors will have the opportunity to admire one of the most beautiful ancient houses in the Mekong Delta.
Nearby attractions and hidden gems: Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Ba Duc Old House? Or maybe you found it too long a drive here? We’ve got some ideas! Check out our list: Cai Be floating market (7 minutes), Cao Dai Temple in Cai Be (7 minutes), Cai Be Church (7 minutes), Le Longanier Restaurant (14 minutes), Cai Be Market (7 minutes)…
2. Travel Guide to Ba Duc Old House
This is the house of the Phan family, which today is often called Mr. Ba Duc’s house (i.e. Mr. Phan Van Duc – the 6th generation successor of this house). The house built by Mr. Phan Van Dang in 1850 has an architectural style that harmoniously combines Southern and French cultures. In 1983, Mr. Phan Van Cuong remodeled the house.
Located in an area of over 2 hectares, surrounding the house are a bonsai garden and a multi-variety fruit garden with local specialties such as Hoa Loc mango, orange, green-skinned pomelo, Ido longan… All are arranged harmoniously, and is one of the most beautiful orchards in the region, very suitable for tourists to visit and enjoy specialty fruits.
3. What to Do – See – Eat at Ba Duc Old House
The house was built with a harmonious combination of two Asian-European architectural styles. From the outside, it looks like a colonial house (Mason D’Epoque Coloniale). The house is built on a ground 0.5 m above the ground, so in the flood season, the house cannot be flooded. It is known that houses built at the same time often do not have such high foundations, which is a very delicate thing about the architecture of the house. The house is divided into 2 distinct parts (front house and back house). Between the two houses is a courtyard, called Thien Tinh (skylight) to bring light to warm both houses.
Front house: This is the place to worship the family’s ancestors. Before entering the house, we encounter a rather wide corridor with a solid corridor. When entering the main door, we can’t help but be surprised by the beauty of the antiques.
When stepping inside, visitors will not be surprised by the objects displayed inside. There are 3 sets of altar cabinets decorated with an iridescent mother of pearl (1924), in which the right-hand side has a wooden box engraved with a dragon image inside with a copy of “Sacred” consecrated god” was granted by King Tu Duc in 1848 -1860.
In the middle of the house, there are 4 large wooden columns with car spokes, highlighting the solidity and longevity of the house. The beautiful mother-of-pearl crockery adds to the antique look of the house.
Around the house, there are 9 beautiful paintings painted on 3 main walls, on each picture is an idyllic village scene next to a charming river. It is known that these 9 paintings represent the peaceful Mekong River (the dragon image is shown through a unique composition from the poetic river).
The back house: Formerly was a rather large house, which included a kitchen, a dining room, and a warehouse used to store rice and production tools, etc. However, most of it was damaged by the war. Currently, only a small part remains for kitchen use.
4. Free Itineraries from VeMekong
As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.
From Cai Be center:
Route 1:
Route 2:
Route 3:
If you do not have much time left, it is easy to check out spots in one full day by boat or with bike or with motorbike and car. But there are much more than tourist sites like these in Cai Be. Make sure you have more time to feel and explore more about the hidden gems and the culture, food, night life, wildlife and forest as well. Top tip: Stay in a homestay nearby, so you have more chances to visit it and surroundings. If you are looking for the package Cai Be daily tour with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
5. Google Maps of Ba Duc Old House
Google Maps made a name for itself helping people travel from one place to another, avoid traffic (You probably know the route from your hotel to the gas station by heart, but what you can’t be sure about is gridlock), measure a distance, get back to the hotel on time, share the location…
6. Visit Ba Duc Old House by yourself
Solo traveller? Travelling on your own means you will get out of any difficult situations by yourself. This, in turn, leads to more satisfying travel experiences and helps you improve your problem-solving skills. These days we rarely get the chance to sit with ourselves and simply be. That’s why you should consider the time you spend alone on your trip as a gift.
It is possible for solo travellers to use google maps and do it alone. But sometimes they need to update local maintained roads and bridges which close and lead you a longer road than the road from google maps. It is just about the time. It takes more time to find the correct garden to come. Adventure is always fun. Wifi is strong in Cai Be village! The locals find it hard to speak English as well. Top tip: Sticking to one canal and keeping going along it which gives you more things to see and avoids getting lost. Contact vemekong.com to hire a car, scooter with English-speaking-guide or cycling tours in Cai Be.
7. Responsible Travel and Advice to Visit Ba Duc Old House
Don’t get us wrong. But we assure you that you totally agree with us. “Do not give candy and things to the children when you plan to visit any local villages”, the kids will leave the school and follow the sweets and later they find some things to give you or sell to you. The garden is a little forest, don’t pick and touch the flowers or fruits without the local’s smiles. We deal with traveling green and leaving green behind, not plastic. Top tip: Vemekong.com are some of the companies that care a lot about responsible travel and local respectation.
8. Amazing Video flycam/drone of Ba Duc Old House (4k)
If a picture says a thousand words, it stands to reason that the video says many times more.
9. Incredible Tips for Photography, Specialists, KOLs, Media and Influencers
To get the best of the best for your unique writing, featuring, photo, video and insider’s stories. We do recommend you to have a local travel expert, the one who always gets more ground information and makes sure every single element is solved perfectly. Vemekong (very exclusive Mekong) team is your priority choice. Email and have a private talk with them to customize your journey smoothly, personal and the most ultimately amazing. You can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
10. Pro Tips
Best time to visit Cai Be floating market is from 5:30am-6:30am. I hope you have an amazing sunrise on the Mekong Delta river.
You can stay in a homestay which is near the floating market, this will help you out the best option. Then you can hire a scooter, car or bike and explore it by yourself, but you still need to hire a boat for the Cai Be floating market.
If you plan to extend your travel to Cai Be Vinh Long homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.
Visit Cai Be or do any customized tours, please choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets and. Safety is a priority! Choose Cai Be responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.
Cai Be food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make Tien Giang cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Hu Tieu My Tho (a kind of noodle soup but it is really yummy), elephant ear fish, snails with pepper, rambutan jam, snake wine, coconut candy, pop rice…
Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.
Bring the raincoat if you’re planning a trip to Tien Giang in the rainy season, as Tien Giang always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.
Cai Be tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Coconut Candy Traditional Village & Small Canals, Puffed Rice Cake Traditional Village, Cao Dai temple (with a holy eye), Cai Be – Vinh Long homestay 2D1N, Cai Be floating market & small canals, Ba Duc Old House, Ba Kiet Old House, Mekong rest stop, amazing Vinh Long homestays on the islets, cocohome homestay, Vinh Long brick & pottery kiln, sampan (small boat) ride in small canals, mighty Mekong river cruise, educational tour and community tour in Cai Be Vinh Long, Tan Phong Islet, Cai Be Church, Le Longanier Restaurant
Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Cai Be, My Tho, Tien Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!
“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.
Thank you
