Binh Thuy Ancient House – Famous for the film “The Lover”

Introduction of Binh Thuy Ancient House

Binh Thuy Ancient House is one of Can Tho’s most well-known tourist destinations. Most tourists visit the house to explore its unique architecture and history. Binh Thuy Ancient House imbues the culture of China, Southern Vietnam, and France.

The ancient and sophisticated beauty of Binh Thuy Ancient House attracts many tourists

Location 

Binh Thuy Ancient House, also known as Duong Family Church located on Bui Huu Nghia Street, Binh Thuy Ward, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City is a unique architecture over a hundred years old.

Binh Thuy ancient house is about 8km from Can Tho city center, so we can travel by motorbike in 15 minutes. In addition, if you are traveling in a large group, you should refer to the 4-seat – 45-seat tourist car rental service upon request.

History of Binh Thuy Ancient House

Binh Thuy Ancient House was built by the Duong family. The Duong family established their business in Southern Vietnam at the end of the 18th century. Mr. Duong Van Vi (3rd generation) is the person who chose the land of Binh Thuy to build the house.

The family built the first house in 1870 with wooden architecture and tile roofing to worship ancestors. By the early twentieth century, he rebuilt and expanded the house. In 1904, he passed away, and then his son, Duong Chan Ky, continued to build it. The house was completed in 1911 and is known as Binh Thuy Ancient House.

The project is located on a campus of about 6000 square meters, opening to the road in the east direction. In front of the house is a large yard with an ornamental tank and rockery, which are elements of a clear path, and a screen in feng shui.

Architecture

At the time, Mr. Duong Chan Ky was a wealthy, educated, and aesthetically knowledgeable landowner. He adopted new Western values and combined them with ethnic elements and Asian traditions in creating the house. It is easy to see the interference of East and West cultures in architecture.

Exterior architecture of Binh Thuy Ancient House

The exterior design of Binh Thuy Ancient House is in favor of Western culture. The house has a total area of about 6,000 square meters in the east-west direction, and the house floor is 1 meter higher than the garden. The entire house is surrounded by ornamental plants, thoughtfully pruned trees, and flowers blooming in all four seasons, making the space more lively and fresh.

From the outside of the house, tourists can see the iron fence with main pillars made of concrete. The style of the fence is outstanding, and modern which is why some tourists mistake the fence for a villa. Stepping through the main gate is to reach the three-entrance gate in Chinese architectural style, on the right side with 4 large pillars, 2 cement pillars, and 2 wooden pillars.

The system of beams at the three-entrance gate is made of wood, with a roof covered with green ceramic tiles on top. The top is decorated with many vivid shapes such as goldfish, unicorns, and flowers. The most special thing is that there are two large signs here: “Phuoc An Hieu” in Chinese and “the house worshiping the Duong family” in Vietnamese.

The artisans carefully carved every detail of the house, creating a dedicated and elegant beauty. In front of the house, two arc-shaped staircases are leading inside. They also put two large bronze lamps from the French colonial period in front of the facade on both sides of the stairs.

 Interior design of Binh Thuy Ancient House

The house carries the architectural features of East and West. A traditional house in the Southern region often has three compartments, but this house has five in total.

Another feature is that the owner of the Duong family laid a layer of granular salt about 10 cm thick under the tile floor. According to the previous generation in Southern Vietnam, this technique will prevent insects and avoid evil spirits. Each section of the house is separated by a carved wooden round door.

Many tourists enjoy admiring the interior design of the house. The owner displays many antiques in a symmetrical and harmonious way. The living room is of the classic European style with French Louis Green-veined marble from Yunnan and a 1.2m high green celadon vase.

The most impressive antique the white French chandelier which is completely intact until now. All of them reveal the prosperity and wealth of the Duong family at that time.

Despite decorating the house with Western architectural style, the heir of the powerful family still keeps the unique Vietnamese trait of the worship place. He knows how to apply modern features and retain the authenticity of our country.

Binh Thuy Orchid Garden and Antiques

Tourists visit the house cannot miss the stunning and vivid orchid garden because of its beauty and values. Mr. Duong Van Ngon, the 5th descentdant of the Duong family, is passionate in bonsai and flowers.

He collected many rare orchids from many places to grow in the garden. One of the most outstanding plant is the 40-year-old Mexican cactus.

Binh Thuy Ancient House is where to film movies

With its unique architecture and cultural values, the house becomes a wonderful set for many movies such as Nhung neo duong phu sa(The Alluvial Paths), Nguoi Dep Tay Do (The Beauty of the Western Capital), No Doi (Life’s Debt).

The film “L’Amant” (The Lovers) also uses Binh Thuy Ancient House as the replacement setting for Huynh Thuy Ancient House in Sa Dec, Dong Thap Province. The Lover (L’Amant) – a classical foreign movie – was filmed in this house in 1992.

The film is about a love affair between Huynh Thuy Le – a son of a respectable Chinese family in Sa Dec, Dong Thap Province, and a female French writer. Luong Gia Huy, a famous film star in Hong Kong, also played in the movie.

The agreement between the homeowner and the feng shui master

According to local legend, this hundred-year-old house was built under mysterious circumstances. The most fascinating part of the story involves the unique agreement between the homeowner, Mr. Duong Chan Ky, and the feng shui master hired to oversee construction, Mr. Ba Nghia.

The legend says that after the completion of the home, the Duong family’s business prospered tremendously thanks to a special feng shui talisman provided by Mr. Ba Nghia. During negotiations, Mr. Duong said it was normal to just build us a home more beautiful and auspicious than any other. However, there was one requirement – after it is finished, he must become a wealthy man.

 The story behind 7 sets of stone chairs

In 1945, when French colonial forces invaded our country, the provisional government encouraged nationwide resistance. That December, fighting erupted between our army in Can Tho and the French, igniting fierce resistance across the South.

During the war, our troops executed many successful ambushes, killing numerous French officers. However, we also lost seven brave soldiers, making the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Mr. Duong Van Ngon made seven stone benches at his Binh Thuy Ancient House to honor the sacrifices of the soldiers. Today, visitors can see these seven benches arranged in the left corner of the house’s front yard.

The entrance fee and opening hours

Binh Thuy Ancient House in Can Tho is open to visitors during two daily hours:

• Morning: from 8am to 12pm.
• Afternoon: from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m

If you arrive during this time and find the house closed or no one selling tickets. You can contact the phone number 0987 055 963 (Uncle Bay – owner). Uncle Bay will arrange to open the door and welcome you quickly.