Co Vien Lau is a cultural tourist site in Ninh Binh province, where visitors can see 25 old houses built in the style of the 18-20th century Red River civilisation.

Visitors will find numerous antiques of high cultural and historic value. There is the Nong Cong house, built in 1847 under King Tu Duc Dynasty (in the house is pottery made in the time of the Ly and Tran kings and Chinese pottery from the 11-14th centuries); the Y Yen house from 1883 that contains glazed ceramic bowls and plates made in the time of the Ly kings dynasty and glazed ceramic jars dating back to the 11-13th centuries; and then there’s the old Tho Xuan house from 1802, built in the time of King Gia Long, in which there are more than 70 dragon-shaped big-bellied Chinese jars.

In the other old houses one can see copperware from the time of Dong Son and jewels, bowls, plates, arrows, spears and axes that were made several thousand years ago.

The Khanh Hoa house was built more than 100 years ago from stone and timber. In the house are parallel sentences engraved on horizontal lacquered boards, a tea chest, a low flat platform for sitting and sleeping that is made of sindora wood and a set of chinaware from the 18th or 19th century.

Designed to resemble a lotus, the Nghenh Tan Cac Palace, built in the year of the cat in the last years of King Gia Long, is situated on a lake. Three bridges, the Thien (the Heaven), the Dia (the Earth) and the Nhan (the Human), lead to the palace.

When staying the night in one of the old houses at Co Vien Lau, visitors will feel like they’re living in the days of centuries ago when the Vietnamese countryside was fresh and peaceful.

The owner of Co Vien Lau is Nguyen Minh Thoa. Co Vien Lau was opened to the public in April 2008 after 10 years of construction. “The philosophy of life is hidden in the carvings found in these old houses,” Thoa said.

One can see these splendid old houses for free, and one might also have a chance to sip a bowl of Eugenia tea. More and more people are going to Co Vien Lau these days and many feel as if here they have found something of themselves that they had forgotten when they were so engrossed in their busy routines at home.

(Source: VEN)