Cai Cuong ancient house is one of the most beautiful ancient houses in Vinh Long Viet Nam with a history of more than one hundred years. The old house is now an attractive stop for tourists on their journey to discover the gardens and islets of the Vinh Long, Mekong Delta.
By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official Vinh Long Visitor Guide
1. Better to Know as a Tourist
Ticket: 20,000VND
Spend-time: Half an hour (approx)
Hours: Dawn – dusk
Food: Yes
Shop: Yes
Parking lot: Yes
Blog: https://vemekong.com/cai-cuong-ancient-house/
Address: Binh Hoa Phuoc commune, Long Ho District, Vinh Long province.
Added values: There is a unique building when it has a harmonious combination between modern Western architecture mixed with ancient East Asian features. Experiencing many restorations, but the arrangement and decoration inside is still intact.
Nearby attractions and hidden gems: Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Cai Cuong ancient house? Or maybe you found it too crowded here? We’ve got some ideas! Check out our list: Vinh Long Pottery & Brick Kiln Factory (3 km), Vinh Sang Eco-tourism (10 km), Coconut Candy Traditional Village in Vinh Long (3 km), Tra on floating market (44 km), Vinh Long museum (7 km), Van Thanh Mieu Temple (7 km), Phu Ly Pagoda (39 km), An Binh Islet (10 km), . . .
2. Travel Guide to Cai Cuong Ancient House
The owner of the house is the family of Mr. Pham Van Bon, a great landowner who is “loving in the garden” on this ancient island. He is also called by other people in the area, Mr. Cai Cuong. Cai Cuong ancient house was built in 1885 in the shape of Dinh, including two folds arranged perpendicularly, the back of the house is in the middle of the front house, the main side faces to the North, overlooking Cai Muoi canal.
The house is a unique combination of Vietnamese and French architecture. Outside Western architecture, inside traditional wooden structure. This is a form of “external” design, i.e. the interior corresponds to traditional art and Eastern culture, while the exterior architecture is in harmony with Western architecture.
The old house has a width of 15m, with ironwood columns up to 6m high supporting the yin and yang tile roofs and the ancient fish-scale tile roofs of the houses. In front of the house is a corridor with doors on both sides with elegant bow-shaped stairs, the columns and walls are decorated with reliefs of the Renaissance period, bringing both high aesthetic elements and minimalism. effects of sun and rain.
French style clearly shows the roof, facade and floor lined with French cement tiles. Decorative patterns and motifs on the outside of the work according to Western architecture. The column head is in the form of a composite composite of the Hy-La style. Corridor columns create the traditional style of “three gates and four pillars” for each space, but combined with arched arches, Western-style “water hyacinth” parapets like a French mansion. Decorate the top of the columns and arches using Acanthus flowers, Western-style grape reliefs on the wall and the gable wall outside the house.
The open-air porch is the landing of two symmetrical bow-shaped stairs to the house, this is a Western architectural style mansion, in the middle there is a small shrine-like altar, from the entrance you can see the main part of the house. This is like a screen between the front of the house, influenced by the concept of feng shui in Hue gardens.
The decoration materials for the facade and porch are strange and unique. The wall on the top of the door leaf is covered with decorative cement tiles to create a harmonious pattern that is not heavy, which is also a very personal creation of the Pham family. Cement tiles are used to line the floor, but the feat of tiling the page. The decoration on the wall creates a very unique aesthetic. The porch is closed with a wooden ceiling and covered with a tile roof, which is different from the traditional house. The facade wall is decorated with zigzag patterns in terracotta brown and yellow earth. Below the frill line, there is a row of fringes with decorative turquoise colored cement tiles. On the roofs of the two roofs, there are still sophisticated decorative details in the style of a French mansion.
The outside veranda, two symmetrical bow-shaped stairs to go up to the house, in the middle there is a small temple with the facade looking at the center of the house, which is a bold Southern architectural and cultural feature. The door in the house is built in the shape of a semicircular arch, showing that the owner of the house is a rich and “influential” person in society.
Inside the house, the entire main structure is made of precious wood and decorated in oriental style. The house is divided into three parts: the front house, the middle house and the back house. The front house and the middle house are large spaces where the owner places tables and chairs to receive guests. Separating them is a massive wooden wall, stretching to separate the two houses.
The central space of the middle house hangs a large diaphragm with the Chinese characters “Pham Phu Duong,” meaning the Pham family’s house. The two sides of the nave are the altars of the ancestors of Mr. Cai Cuong’s family.
The inside of the back house is divided into three compartments, the middle one is empty with a door leading to the back of the garden, the two adjacent compartments are two symmetrical bedrooms with ironwood walls. Therefore, although the carvings here are not sophisticated and sharp, they do not lack in aesthetics and elaborateness. Adding to the beauty of this old house is the number of large and small doors that are opened a lot, the furniture is very neat and tidy, adding to the nobility of the old house. Items such as altar cabinets, wardrobes, tables and chairs, couches, counters… are all made of ironwood or car spokes from the late 19th century, which are kept almost intact by the family.
3. What to Do –See – Eat at Cai Cuong Ancient House
The special thing with this ancient house is the familiar but unique carved images on the blue envelopes and wooden walls, which do not follow the classic standards of the usual images of the four spirits and nobles. Artists carve on here animals that are very familiar to the early southern river land such as Monkey, Horse, Bird, Deer, Tiger…,
Today, Cai Cuong ancient house is inherited and managed by Mr. Vo Huynh Long, 64 years old, the third generation descendant of the Pham family. The old house has services for Vinh Long tourists such as visiting, performing Don Ca Tai Tu, picking fruit in the garden… Visitors can stay overnight in two old bedrooms of Mr. Cai’s family. Strong. Sitting on a hundred-year-old sofa, chatting about East and West, eating fruit from the garden are interesting experiences in an old house on the southern island.
4. Free Itineraries from VeMekong
As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.
From Vinh Long city 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 Vinh Long. 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 Vinh long daily tours with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
5. Google Maps of Cai Cuong Ancient 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 Cai Cuong Ancient 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 Vinh long 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 Vinh long
7. Responsible Travel and Advice to Visit Cai Cuong Ancient House
It is always good to repeat “responsible travel” over and over. Cai Cuong ancient house faces severe deterioration by termites and weather and time as well as scientifically maintained cleaning. We do appreciate any of you who do visit and take good behavior to the family and the ancient house. There are less and less traditional places like this in Vietnam because of fast and morden life. Top tip: Vemekong.com is one of the companies that care a lot about responsible travel and local respectation.
8. Amazing Video flycam/drone of Cai Cuong Ancient 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. The 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 Vinh Long 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 Vinh Long responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.
Vinh Long 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 Vinh Long 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, Durian Ri6…
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 Vinh Long in the rainy season, as Vinh Long always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.
Vinh Long tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Vinh Long brick & pottery kiln, Coconut candy village & sampan (small boat) ride in small canals, mighty Mekong river cruise, educational tour and community tour in Cai Be Vinh Long, Cai Be – Vinh Long homestay 2D1N, Cai Be floating market & small canals, amazing Vinh Long homestays on the islets, An Binh Islet, Vinh Long Fruit Garden, cocohome homestay, Puffed Rice Cake Traditional Village In Cai Be & Vinh Long, Cai Cuong Ancient House, May Islet (Luc Si Thanh Islet), Phu Ly Khmer Pagoda, Phat Ngoc Xa Loi Pagoda Vinh Long (Jade Buddha), Vinh Long Cycling Tours…
Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Vinh Long province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!
“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.
Thank you
