Exploring the Unique Charm of Hòa An: A Village of Stilt Houses in Cao Lãnh

 Few are aware of a modest stilt house village spanning over 2 hectares called Hòa An, where the late scholar Nguyễn Sinh Sắc (1862 – 1929) resided in his final years. Located in Ward 4, Cao Lãnh City, Đồng Tháp Province.

Discovering the Unique Stilt House Village of Hòa An in Cao Lãnh

The village of stilt houses, Hòa An, nestled along a small creek with water gates, monkey bridges, fish traps, haystacks, and ox carts. The village paths adorned with coconut trees intermingled with betel palms, jujubes, areca palms, carambola, papaya, guava, lotus, and fruit trees peculiar to the area.

Accentuated by patches of melons, tomatoes, corn, yardlong beans... Wattle fences or bamboo fences (simple patterns) enclose houses and cool water ponds with coconut shells, simple wooden chairs, and eco-friendly trash bins reminding everyone to maintain cleanliness.

In the stilt house village of Hòa An of old, three types of houses were reconstructed:

Historically Significant Homes

The first type is homes intertwined with history and the life of Mr. Pho Bang like Mr. Nam Giao's house, Mr. Tran Ba Le's house, Mr. Ca Nhi Nguu's house, all built for Mr. Pho Bang.

Mr. Nam Giao, a poor farmer and widower living with his adopted son Le Van Chat, once sheltered Mr. Pho Bang from 1927 – 1929. The house, with its simple leaf roof, feels familiar like many homes in the poor countryside of the Southern region.

Prior to this, to facilitate Mr. Pho Bang's activities, Mr. Tran Ba Le (Ca Nhi Nguu) – a patriotic scholar, built a small house in the garden for Mr. Pho Bang to examine pulses, prescribe medicine, and provide free treatment to the people. Mr. Pho also developed deep friendships with patriotic scholars like Mr. Vo Hoanh, Mr. Le Chanh Dang...

Mr. Le's house reflects the architecture of the aristocracy at that time, luxurious with original artifacts such as: pairs of curtains, decorative horizontal lacquered boards, clocks, antlers, brass pots, plates, and dishes...

In the front hall is an exquisite round wooden table for entertaining guests and serving tea. In the middle of the house is the guest reception area; the ancestral altar is placed at the main facade, facing the entrance.

The kitchen is where cooking happens with an array of utensils, showcasing the host's generosity and creativity; it's also a place for comfortable midday rests. The cooling horse-cart, typically used for setting up meals and betel chewing, serves as a spot to relax and regain strength after exhaustion. During ancestral death anniversaries, it's where all the dishes are prepared before being offered.

Traditional Wooden-Floor Houses

The second type is traditional wooden-floor houses belonging to the middle class like landlords, patriarchs... featuring designs like Bat Dan, Dinh, Noc Ngua.

Due to the influence of flood seasons, these houses are built on a sturdy column and pillar system. The floors are usually not too high, mainly to prevent flooding and ensure ventilation, allowing winds from multiple directions.

The space under the floor is seldom utilized. Staircases are located on both sides of the main house. Bat Dan is one of the common types, constructed with wood on the floor or on the ground, with tiled roofs.

The houses typically have one or three bays, with a side roof, connecting roofs from front to back; the entrance is flanked by wide verandas on both sides. In the middle of the veranda, a round table is often set for regular guests; inside the central bay is the ancestral altar, while outside is the reception area or a long table for esteemed guests.

Two chamber doors lead to two sleeping areas. The kitchen bay usually serves as a connecting space to the main house.

A Dinh-style house consists of a main house and an attached auxiliary house on the side wall; the joining corner forms a right angle, resembling the character 'Dinh' in Chinese characters.

The main house is where ancestral worship, receiving guests, and bedrooms are situated. The auxiliary bay serves as the kitchen, dining area, and storage, with the entrance always located in the auxiliary bay. Dinh-style houses are raised on high ground, with a bamboo screen woven in front of the central veranda.

Noc Ngua houses have a central row of pillars bearing the weight of the house. From the outside, they appear low, with wide eaves, but the system of rafters, columns, and house ceilings is very high, providing cool ventilation; they serve to shield against rain and glaring sunlight in tropical areas, while also limiting visibility from the outside.

These houses typically lack side roofs but have a rear lean-to connected directly to the main house, serving as the kitchen and resting area for meals.

Charming Leafy Abodes

The third type comprises leafy abodes akin to the precarious lives of field laborers, tenants, and sojourners. With four leaf walls, open front, and exposed rear, primarily to shield from the sun; starkly contrasting the grandiose wooden-floor houses like opposing sides of a coin.

Within the village, various trades thrive such as traditional medicine preparation, leaf weaving, crafting fishing gear, blacksmithing, carpentry, traditional music performances, cockfighting...; lively scenes reminiscent of the peaceful Southern countryside. Alongside are authentic everyday scenes like setting traps, fishing, tending to bonsai trees, picking persimmons, actual cockfights, haircuts, traditional music performances...

Since late 2017, indigenous stilt houses in Hoa An have been renovated to accommodate guests, offering a unique form of accommodation found only in Dong Thap. Visitors – today's landlords – sleep on antique beds with mattresses or cool horsehair mattresses made of precious wood.

Each lodging is equipped with curtains, electrical outlets, bedside lamps... designed harmoniously while retaining an ancient charm. The bathroom system features hot water, clean and spacious toilets, instead of outdoor facilities as in the past.

Hoa An Ecotourism Village is part of the nationwide CBT Homestay system, offering incredibly affordable prices without compromising quality. Guests are welcomed with Cao Lanh ginseng drinks and cold towels. Buffet breakfast (minimum 15 guests) is priced at 50,000 VND per person.

Families and groups of friends can rent entire houses with dedicated services.

In the evening, the village road shimmers ethereally, especially on moonlit nights when the golden moonlight dances. The countryside is tranquil, with solitary nature and gentle breezes. Throughout the night, the melodies of bolero, the insect symphony, and the rustling of grass whispering reminisce of the wild primeval era.

The sound of rain on the roof echoes like the deep notes of an eternal love song between heaven and earth. The night air is filled with rustic fragrances, hints of rural flowers, subtle yet refined. Before dawn breaks, the distant sounds of temple bells and the village's morning bustle can already be heard.

Even before the sun rises, when the world is still asleep, the chorus of birds beckons the dawn and greets the new day. The sound of brooms sweeping and the bustling of water for irrigation can already be heard. Visitors can visit hair salons for traditional Western haircuts before heading to traditional Chinese medicine clinics for pulse diagnosis and prescriptions.

The consultation and medication fees vary depending on the generosity and camaraderie typical of the people of Dong Thap in particular and the Southern region in general.

Tourists can engage in various activities like setting traps, fishing, tending vegetable gardens, picking persimmons, rowing small boats with three leaves... Hoa An Village is a living museum, a collection of Southern stilt house architecture with a blend of everyday life activities, offering an intriguing mix of reality and illusion for those who seek to experience the culture of the Southern Western region.

Source: Vũ Linh Phương/Tuổi trẻ

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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour