VietNamNet Bridge – Fisherman Tran Huu Khue,70, in Giao Hai Village of Nam Dinh Province is putting the finishing touches to the tools he will be exhibiting at his home museum.

House of straw: A boi house is a tourist attraction in Giao Hai Village in Nam Dinh Province.

“I’m setting up a museum to show off the traditional tools and culture of a typical coastal village, where people live off fishing and rice farming,” Khue said.

The 70-year-old man makes everything by hand, like bamboo boats and fishing nets.

“Tourists can see the farming instruments that have been in use by farmers here for years. Visitors can get a real sense of the hard work that goes into living off the land” Khue said.

Only a dozen remain

Giao Hai, a coastal village160km south of Ha Noi, is famous for boi houses (traditional houses with soil floors and layered roofs of thick sedge).

But in the past two decades, modern houses have been replacing them and only a dozen of the older houses remain.

Head of the culture section of the communal People’s Committee, Tran Van Huyen, said: “Rapid economic growth has almost wiped out the traditional houses. There are around 13 houses left, which were built in 1940s.”

“We can hardly persuade villagers to restore their houses when we are short of funds,” Huyen added.

In the village, the two oldest houses were built in the early 40s, and are in ruins .

The oldest house in the village is still standing. Built in 1942, it has sheltered three generations of the Tran Van Thinh family.

Layers of sedge

Fish market: Vendors bring fish to market in Giao Hai Village.

The thick, dry plant keeps houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Layers of sedge are woven together, one or two metres thickness, and tightened by rattan fibres (long, thin stems).

The roof is repaired every year by freshly harvested sedge, and droops over the house into the shape of a mushroom.

Thinh, a 72-year-old local, told how his house was built by his father when he was just a child. He still lives there today with his wife and seven children.

Traditionally, boi houses are built with three rooms. The largest room is at the centre of the house and is used as a living room and a place for ancestor worship. The other two are bedrooms.

Thinh worries about the damage the house has suffered over the years. He doesn’t have the means to repair any more damage.

“The village administration encourages households to maintain the old houses. We plan to recover the old houses as sites of tourism, but we are short of money, ” said the head of culture section, Huyen. “We need financial support to save the old houses before they collapse”.

Charging admission

The village has a large dock, which facilitates the bustling daily fishing market.

“The market is for farmers, so it opens early in the morning. Things are cheap here,” said fruit-selling farmer Dinh Thi Hien, 40.

“The little profit I earn from selling fruit is enough to buy my family’s cooking for a day.”

The village has a population of 7,000 and an average per-capita income of VND6 million (US$353).

Co-operation with tourism agencies to promote the village has yet to pay-off.

“The old house owners can earn entrance fees from curious visitors. I’m sure this will be really appreciated,” Huyen said.

Home-made fish sauce is a big industry in the village.

Tourists can see farmers making fish sauce the traditional way. Afterwards, they can have a go for themselves.

Catch a show

Visitors can catch a raw performance of the ancient traditional opera, cheo.

A group of 10 or 15 can see a stilt walking performance.

Statistics from the local tourism board revealed how just 200 tourists visited the area last year. This year, only a third of that number have come.

“It’s because the village isn’t promoted effectively. We need funds to attract tourists.” said Huyen.

The village should invest more in tourist services,” said vice director of Focus Travel, Nguyen Viet Trinh. “Accommodation and food service are good enough, but 50km of bad roads from Nam Dinh City creates problems for tourists,” he says.

The Indochina Travel (VidoTour) company is currently working with the village to set up a community-based tour.

Service is available at www.vidotourtravel.com.

(Source: Viet Nam News)