The government has recognized Duong Lam Village as a National Historical and Culture Vestige for its well-preserved traditional customs and a variety of centuries-old original architecture.

To this day, most of Duong Lam’s residents make their living farming and the village is surrounded by beautiful rice and corn fields. The best time to visit Duong Lam is the festival season in the first month of the lunar calendar when the hustle and bustle of the locals is at its fullest charm.

During festivals, the village comes alive as the husks drying in front yards resemble golden carpets and the old alleys breathe with the movement of the villagers.

Duong Lam’s six hamlets boast a full range of historic structures, including a traditional village gate, pagodas and communal houses.

The Mong Phu Hamlet’s gate is among the most famous and beautiful in Vietnam.

It was built in 1553 out of traditional materials such as jack-fruit wood, laterite, sand, lime and honey.

The Mong Phu communal house, built in the same year as the gate, under the reign of King Le Than Tong, was inspired by geomancy.

The house is sided by two wells, believed to be the two eyes of a hid-den dragon.

After many restorations, the current communal house retains only part of its old appearance and interior decor, but it is still villagers’ communal space.

The nearby Mia Pagoda is famous for its 287 wood and clay Buddhist statues.

But what really makes Duong Lam different from other villages is its 800 old laterite houses.

Some of these houses, usually just about two meters high and roofed with antique tiles, are hundreds of years old.

Every house has well-decorated gates.

Duong Lam also is the hometown of two great national heroes: King Phung Hung, famous for leading a powerful revolt against the invading Tang Dynasty from China, and King Ngo Quyen, who vanquished the Southern Han armies on Bach Dang River, marking an end to 1,000 years of Chinese rule over Vietnam.

Duong Lam is under preservation by Japanese experts, who will help authorities apply for UNESCO World Heritage Site membership.

Near Son Tay Town, Ha Tay Province, the village is not far from the famed Thay and Tay Phuong pagodas, and can be combined with these places in a full day trip from Hanoi.

Lunch can be booked with a local