What policy preserves ancient houses in Nghe An?

Cultural and historical value

Arriving at Hamlet 6, Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan), we were amazed by the ancient beauty of a village that still preserves many ancient structures. Along with the special national monument of Hoanh Son communal house - a historical architectural work built in the 18th century, the hamlet also has ancient houses that are over a hundred years old. One of them is the house of Mr. Ta Quang Nam in Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan). The house was built about 120 years ago, designed entirely of ironwood, with 3-room, 2-gable architecture; the roof is also covered with yin-yang scale tiles.

The ancient house of Mr. Ta Quang Nam in Hamlet 6, Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan). Photo: Minh Quan

Mr. Nam said, beforeAugust Revolution, the house was used by his grandfather Ta Quang Chuoc as a meeting place for cadres in the Nghe-Tinh Soviet movement, pre-uprising cadres such as Luu Dao, Nguyen Duc Thuy, Le Sy Nguyen, Tran Van Canh... And now it is still used as a residence because it is warm in winter and cool in summer. The house is not only a place to shelter from the rain and sun but also associated with many sad and happy memories of Mr. Nam and his descendants in the family, a place to preserve good family traditions, a place to witness many ups and downs, changes of the homeland.

Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan) is a locality that still preserves many ancient houses, with yin-yang tiled roofs and traditional-style altars... Photo: Minh Quan

Along with Mr. Ta Quang Nam's house, in Hamlet 6 there are also some ancient houses that are 50-100 years old belonging to Mr. Ta Quang Bao, Mrs. Ta Thi Yen, Mr. Dang Duc Thuong...

According to the district's Department of Culture and Information, there are about 20 ancient houses in Nam Dan. In addition to Khanh Son commune - the locality with the most ancient houses in the district, in Nam Linh commune there is also a famous ancient house of writer - translator Ong Van Tung. This house, hundreds of years old, is built entirely of ironwood, with extremely sophisticated carvings on the beams, rafters... inside the house, there are also many ancient objects such as mahogany beds, tea cabinets, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences... which are the owner's dedication to preserving and collecting for decades. This is not only a place of worship and retirement for translator - writer Ong Van Tung but also a famous private museum and library in the region.

In Nghi Truong commune (Nghi Loc), the house of Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien in hamlet 15 is also considered one of the most valuable ancient houses in the province. The house is built on 16 round pillars, each pillar is about 20 cm in diameter, the front of the house is made of wood. Inside the house, each corner of the beam and the rafters are also elaborately carved. In the early 20th century, this house was a place of shelter for some students of the patriotic Confucian scholar Nguyen Thuc Tu. During the years of the resistance war against the US, this was also a place where army units stayed when marching through the largest house in the area. Currently, the house is used as a church for the Nguyen Thuc family.

The elaborate carvings on the ceiling of Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien's ancient house in Nghi Truong commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Minh Quan

Conservation concerns

However, in recent years, the Culture sector has only focused on historical relics, architectural art, landscapes and scenic spots with high community significance associated with religious beliefs and annual rituals such as communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines, etc., while ancient houses are a type of cultural heritage that has received little attention. It is known that the statistics on ancient houses were carried out quite a long time ago, in July 2004, with a detailed survey project on the ancient house system in Nghe An by the Institute of Architecture - Urban and Rural Planning under the Ministry of Construction.

An ancient house in Tho village, Phuc Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Huy Thu.

Currently, through discussions with officials working on cultural heritage in Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, and Thanh Chuong districts, they said that it is impossible to know exactly how many ancient houses there are left in the district because in Decision No. 201/QD-UBND dated January 17, 2018 of the People's Committee of Nghe An province approving the List of inventory of relics and scenic spots in Nghe An, there is no list of "ancient houses".

Up to now, at the provincial and district levels, there has not been a comprehensive plan for surveying, evaluating and preserving ancient house heritage. Therefore, ancient houses are still under private ownership and the preservation of these ancient architectural works depends entirely on the awareness and economic capacity of each family.

It can be said that in a province with a harsh climate, hot and rainy like Nghe An, if there is no strategy and conservation measures, the system of ancient houses will deteriorate very quickly and the trend of demolishing ancient houses to build solid houses with modern architecture is irresistible.

Termite-damaged house pillars in an ancient house in Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan). Photo: Minh Quan

For example, right in Hamlet 6, Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan) - where valuable ancient houses hundreds of years old are preserved, over time, due to long-term lack of repair, many houses have deteriorated, the brick floors are cracked, the rafters are infested with termites..., typically the house of Ms. Ta Thi Yen. Ms. Yen said that occasionally, foreign delegations and officials from the province and district still come to visit, take photos and encourage the family to preserve the ancient house. However, the family did not receive any support policies and did not have the economic conditions to carry out the preservation, so the house continued to deteriorate over time.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Ho Manh Ha - Deputy Head of the Heritage Management Department (Department of Culture and Sports) said: "For concentrated ancient houses such as Hoi An ancient town (Quang Nam), Hanoi ancient town, Pho Hien (Hung Yen), Duong Lam ancient village (Ha Tay), the restoration, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values ​​are more convenient. Meanwhile, Nghe An ancient houses are scattered throughout every village and hamlet, but that does not mean that the ancient houses lack conservation attention.

To best preserve ancient houses in Nghe An, it is necessary to encourage the participation of people in coordination with authorities at all levels and relevant sectors to link conservation with exploitation and tourism development, especially for houses with high architectural, cultural and historical values. To do so, there must be appropriate tours and routes along with ancillary services to attract visitors, thereby partly solving the problem of funding for preserving ancient houses.

The early, active and practical involvement of relevant levels and sectors in management, policy making, financial support, and guidance for people on methods to preserve ancient houses, along with a sense of pride and preservation of the heritage of their families and clans, will help ancient houses stand firm over time. On the contrary, if conservation work is not done well from now on, ancient houses will gradually disappear from the cultural space of Nghe An countryside.